Sunday 22 March 2020

Arriving in Lincoln

After my visit to Spalding I drove on to Lincoln where I was staying for a couple of nights. Lincolnshire is well known for being very flat but there is one large hill in Lincoln on which a great cathedral was built in the 11th century. It is the fourth largest in the UK and as I have not seen it before this seems the perfect time to visit. I knew I was staying near the cathedral but I had done no research into my accommodation. I chose it because it was convenient to the old part of the city, had free parking and the price was reasonable. I was also intrigued by its name: 'The Old Palace'.
I put all my faith in my sat nav. However, as I was driving ever closer to the cathedral along cobbled streets full of pedestrians, I felt it was just a matter of time before I was stopped by the police for driving in a pedestrian only area! But no! All of a sudden, down a dead end was a sign saying 'The Old Palace'. The only way in was through a large locked gate. I pressed the buzzer and then had an anxious wait for a few minutes before a young gentlemen arrived to unlock the gates and to show me my parking space.


In front of me was a church. I really had done no research into where I would be laying my head tonight and had no idea it would be a converted church.

I was told that a medieval church had been on this site since 1685 but this present one was built in 1871. However when a larger one was needed to accommodate the boys at Christ's Hospital School, the church was no longer needed by the Diocese of Lincoln and went through a period of change finally becoming a Bed and Breakfast in 2011. There are 16 rooms altogether of a variety of sizes. I had booked a single room but was delighted to find I had been upgraded to a double room on my arrival.

After a short rest and cup of tea I left my cosy room to have a quick look around my surroundings especially the Cathedral which was just a stone's throw away.

It was time for evensong when I walked in so I decided to stay and listen. It was beautiful to just sit back and enjoy the singing of the Cathedral choir. I couldn't have timed it better.







The cathedral was almost empty as I left and I was able to just wander around and absorb the atmosphere.






I left the Cathedral and wandered around the old part of the city. The light was fading and the shops were closing. Day visitors had gone home. It was very, very quiet.


I looked forward to exploring more of the city tomorrow.



This was the street I had driven up to get to the B and B.


View from the Old Palace car park.


16 comments:

  1. What a great B&B! Looks like there are lots of interesting streets to wander down.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is nice to be surprised by really good accommodation. I see you managed to find more scaffolding.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I only had 3 days in Lincoln, but that was enough to discover it a delightful city. The cathedral is absolutely beautiful architecturally, and you got the timing exactly right, yes :) The Cathedral choir perfectly fills the heavenly space.

    Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a crowd in town or visitors in the cathedral.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a wonderful place to stay!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a delightful surprise your accommodations were! Lovely room. The shot of the cathedral in the light of the setting sun is beautiful.

    Thank you for the ideas for Hannah...

    ReplyDelete
  6. What an impressive cathedral there is!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello, the B&B looks very comfy. I love the cathedral, beautiful photos. Take care and be well. Wishing you a happy new week!

    ReplyDelete
  8. You made a good choice with your B & B!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for taking me into that lovely church.

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a find! That B N B looks really neat. How was the breakfast part? We have been to one evensong and that was in Westminster Abby. It gave me chills to hear it.
    Our restrictions are increasing. Governor has closed non essential businesses as of 5 pm today, Monday. Glad we went for wine yesterday. I don't think that will be defined as a grocery store.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love all the architectural details in the cathedral

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a neat surprise your accommodations were! And then an unplanned Evensong in such beautiful surroundings. The tiny pieces in the stained glass window and the woodwork designs at the toP are just gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bit of a shock for you no doubt to find you would be staying in an old church. A good use for it meaning it is not lost for good. The Cathedral is amazing , would love to visit it

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a divine (pun intended) to stay ~ and what a treasure to have evening song and able to walk around the beautiful cathedral ~ Wonderful photos ~ would imagine all is closed due to the Corona Virus????

    Keep Calm, Be Well,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow...it's ALL so fantastic. I've said it before, and it's worth repeating...I relish European history.

    ReplyDelete
  16. A good choice with your B&B.
    The Cathedral is amazing.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete

Thank-you for reading my blog. I would love to read your comments.