---

 

 

Lincoln Leasing

Did You Know?

Did you know that Lincoln was once home to the world’s tallest building, or that it will host the world’s first ever robotic farm? Or that Downton Abbey and the Da Vinci Code were filmed here? There’s more to this city than meets the eye. So, we’ve assembled some cool and quirky facts about Lincoln to provide a little background.

Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza was the world’s tallest man-made structure for thousands of years, until it was finally surpassed by Lincoln Cathedral, reaching just short of 160 metres tall when an expansion was completed in 1311. The cathedral then held the record until its spire collapsed nearly two and a half centuries later in 1549.

Christopher Wren is celebrated as one of the greatest architects in British history, with his works including St Paul’s Cathedral, Kensington Palace and the Monument to the Great Fire of London. Wren also designed many libraries, but today only two survive: one at the University of Cambridge’s Trinity College; the other in Lincoln Cathedral.

When Eleanor of Castile – the wife of King Edward ‘Longshanks’ I – made a voyage from to Lincoln from London in 1290, she would sadly never arrive. She died in the village of Harby, around 50 kilometres outside the city. The king was distraught.

Lincoln is home to one of the UK’s best-preserved castles, it parallels it in historical significance. Nearly 1,000 years old, Lincoln Castle was built by William the Conqueror on the site of a Roman fort just two years after the Norman-French army’s victory at the Battle of Hastings.

The most impressive relic with a home in Lincoln is without doubt the city’s original copy of the 1215 Magna Carta – one of only four that survive today. After King John sealed the historic charter, copies were sent to various religious locations around the country.

These days Lincoln is counted among the UK’s smaller cities; the current population of around 100,000 doesn’t even rank it in the top 70. But it hasn’t always been like that. But we do know that in Roman times Lincoln was one of the largest settlements in the country.

Connecting Lincoln to the River Trent at Torksey, the Fossdyke Navigation was built by the Romans over 2,000 years ago and is the oldest canal still in use in the UK.

While it is now a pinnacle of modern Lincoln, the Brayford has roots dating back through the ages. Mooring facilities have been in place on the waterfront since Roman times, making it the UK’s oldest inland harbour.

Britain’s Roman roads paved the way for the country’s modern infrastructure. Characteristically long and straight, the greatest of these roads was Fosse Way, which extended over 200 miles from Exeter to Lincoln.

At the heart of Lincoln’s city centre stands one of the city’s most recognisable features. High Bridge, which carries the High Street at its busiest point across the River Witham, is the oldest bridge in the UK that still has occupied buildings on it.

One of the Roman relics still proudly visible in Lincoln today is the Newport Arch. Built in the 3rd century, it is the only remaining Roman archway in the UK that is still used for traffic to pass under it.