Lincoln Castle - Part I

 

The west gate of Lincoln Castle

After nearly 3 hours of non stop walking and taking photographs during my day out in Lincoln, in September 2020, I left Chapel Lane and got my first glimpse of the north curtain wall of Lincoln Castle, which was first built in 1068 as a motte and bailey castle on the site of the Roman fort.

 

A Google Map view of Lincoln Castle

With hindsight, I would have headed back towards Bailgate to look at the Roman well and the Mint Wall, the remains of the north wall of the basilica to the rear of the Castle Hotel, but instead I just took a few photos of the north curtain wall of the castle and carried on towards its west gate.

 

The north curtain wall of Lincoln Castle

Two years after the Conquest, the north of England was far from subjugated and, following the Harrying of the North, the temporary wooden palisade was replaced in the late C11 with a Lincoln stone wall, to further reinforce its strategic position.

 

The north-west corner of the curtain wall

 

Given the very poor weathering qualities of Lincoln stone – which I had noted in the Lucy Tower when visiting the castle in 2007 - the wall has been extensively restored, but the steep rampart prevented me from getting near to the curtain wall to look closely at its masonry.

 

Masonry at the Lucy Tower in 2007

I did notice, however, a section of walling that contains herringbone masonry, which in its original form is typical of Norman building – as also seen at Peveril Castle in Derbyshire - but when the Strugglers Inn at the end of Westgate caught my eye, I decided that it was time to take a break.

 

Herringbone masonry in the north curtain wall

 

When living in Lincoln for the first time, back in 1984, this was one of a few excellent pubs in ‘uphill’ Lincoln that I sometimes visited and I was tempted to stop here; however, on this occasion, I took advantage of the beer garden of The Victoria – from which I could see the western earth rampart of the castle that buries the Roman wall, while enjoying a pint of Batemans XB bitter.

A pint of Batemans XB bitter