Lincoln City Centre is the

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

and

cultural area In anthropology and geography, a cultural area, cultural region, cultural sphere, or culture area refers to a geography with one relatively homogeneous human activity or complex of activities (culture). Such activities are often associa ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, England. It is defined as the areas along the city's

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

. Each part of the centre brings a differing main sector or sectors to the city with a small overlap between each area.

Areas

The city centre is divided into Uphill, Downhill,

Steep Hill Steep Hill is a street in the historic city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. At the top of the hill is the entrance to Lincoln Cathedral and at the bottom is Well Lane. The Hill consists of independent shops, tea rooms and public houses. Its n ...

, Cornhill,

Brayford Brayford is a village and civil parish in Devon, England, situated about from South Molton and from Barnstaple. It lies on Exmoor and sits beneath open areas of common land. It is a small rural community and in the surrounding area are many ...

and past the

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

. These areas are connected by the ancient

Ermine Street Ermine Street is a major Roman road in England that ran from London (''Londinium'') to Lincoln ('' Lindum Colonia'') and York ('' Eboracum''). The Old English name was ''Earninga Strǣt'' (1012), named after a tribe called the ''Earninga ...

which is known as the High Street, in Downhill the High Street becomes The Strait then Steep Hill connects to Uphill where it becomes Bailgate.

Uphill

The Pottergate Arch and Lincoln Cathedral - geograph

Uphill is Lincoln's

old town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

with many grade listed buildings dating back to the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

and

roman period The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

s these include

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...

Lincoln Castle Lincoln Castle is a major medieval castle constructed in Lincoln, England, during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is one of only ...

, Pottergate Arch,

St Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

and

Newport Arch Newport Arch is a 3rd-century Roman gate in the Newport district of the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. It is a Scheduled monument and Grade I listed building and is reputedly the oldest arch in the United Kingdom still used by traffic ...

on the hill with

Jew's House The Jew's House is one of the earliest extant town houses in England, estimated to have been built around 1170. It is situated on Steep Hill in Lincoln, immediately below Jew's Court. The house has traditionally been associated with the thriving ...

and

Norman House Norman House on Steep Hill, Lincoln, England is a historic building and an example of Norman architecture#Domestic architecture, Norman domestic architecture. The building is at 46–47 Steep Hill and 7 Christ's Hospital Terrace. The architectu ...

on Steep Hill, among other listed buildings. It has a number of independent

small business Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have a small number of employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being ...

es. Castle Square and Bailgate are the centre to Uphill. The square hosts the farmers' market and is the meeting point for

, the castle and cathedral. The hillside area is partly residential. In 2020 a mansion near Lincoln Cathedral was offered for sale at £2 million. Bailgate, Minster Yard, Eastgate and Drury Lane have housing prices ranging from £200,000 to £800,000.

Lincoln UTC Lincoln UTC is a small University Technical College in Lincoln, England which opened in 2014 and specialises in science and engineering. The school is sponsored by the Baker Dearing Educational Trust. History The founding principal was Dr. Rona ...

, an educational institution with a campus called the Greestone Centre, is also on the hill.

Downhill

The High Street is mainly commercial and

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other mobility aids. Streets and roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic, called the '' sidewalk'' in North American English, the ''pavement'' in British En ...

in both Downhill and Cornhill. Downhill is the centre's cultural and nightlife area. It is centred upon the Guildhall and Stonebow. North of the Guildhall there are a number of cultural buildings: the grade II listed New Theatre Royal was built in the area in 1892, it is 'new' because the previous building from 1806 was damaged in a fire; Lincoln Museum and the

Usher Gallery The Usher Gallery is an art museum in Lincoln, England. The gallery displays a collection of artworks by painters such as J. M. W. Turner and L. S. Lowry. Established in 1927, it is run as part of Lincoln Museum. History James Ward Usher wa ...

. St Hugh's Church (Grade II listed) and Lincoln College are also in the area. North of the Guildhall also formerly included the church of St Peter at Arches and the Georgian Buttermarket which existed from 1737 until 1932: in their place is the former Norwich Union House, which has since been converted into multiple retail outlets. South-east of the Guildhall is Saltergate, Guildhall Street and St Swithins Square. The notable buildings on these streets are The Angel Coffee House, St Swithin's Church which is a Grade II* listed currently closed

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

. The church congregation currently meet opposite the church in a former

Co-operative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...

building. Further down the high street is Waterside Shopping Centre and the

River Witham The River Witham is a river almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham at , passes through the centre of Grantham (where it may be closely followed using the Riversi ...

which passes under High Bridge which the High Street is on.

Cornhill

Cornhill is the city's main market and

transportation Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

area. It has two squares, St Benedict's and Cornhill. Cornhill Square is anchored by the early-Victorian Corn Exchange Arcade and the late-Victorian

Corn Exchange A corn exchange is a building where merchants trade grains. The word "corn" in British English denotes all cereal grains, such as wheat and barley; in the United States these buildings were called grain exchanges. Such trade was common in towns ...

. St Benedict's is a Grade I listed former church (currently a book shop). The High Street then passes over St Mary's Street/Wigford Way where it passes through a level crossing with the

and directly next to the level crossing is

St Mary le Wigford St Mary le Wigford is a Grade I listed parish church in Lincoln, in the county of Lincolnshire, England. History The church dates from the 11th century, with 12th and 13th century additions. The dedication stone in the west tower is a re-us ...

church which is a Grade I listed church and the oldest active parish church in the city centre.

South of the station

South of the railway station, at Tenercroft Street, the High Street opens up to cars with mixed use buildings on either side, The street runs southwards to St Catherines Roundabout and includes the former Station,

St Peter at Gowts St Peter at Gowts is a Grade I listed parish church in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. History The church dates from the 11th century. The north aisle and porch were built in 1852 to designs of William Adams Nicholson. The chancel was enlarged ...

Church, Central Methodist Church, Greek Orthodox Church of St. Basil and St. Paisios (Formerly St Botolph's Church until 2021) and St Mary's Guildhall among other historic buildings.

Brayford Pool

North of

Brayford Pool Brayford Pool is a natural pool formed from a widening of the River Witham in the centre of the city of Lincoln in England. It was used as a port by the Romans – who connected it to the River Trent by constructing the Foss Dyke – and has ...

is Newland, it is the centre's area of governance.

Lindsey County Council Lindsey County Council was the county council of Lindsey, one of the three Parts of Lincolnshire in eastern England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1889 and was abolished on 1 April 1974. The county council was initially based at the County Ha ...

moved to the area in 1932 from the County Hall in Uphill to the Council Offices (Lindsey County Council became

Lincolnshire County Council Lincolnshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Lincolnshire in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county; the latter additionally includes North Lincolnshire and No ...

in 1974) with

Lincoln City Council The City of Lincoln Council is the local authority for the district of Lincoln, in the county of Lincolnshire, England. The council consists of 33 councillors, three for each of the 11 wards in the city. It is currently controlled by the Labour P ...

following by moving from the Guildhall in Downhill to the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

on Beaumont Fee in 1973. South and east of the pool is

New Boultham This is a list of Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral divisions and wards in the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands. All changes since the re-organisation of local government following the passing of ...

, it includes the

University of Lincoln The University of Lincoln is a public university, public research university in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England, with origins dating back to 1861. It gained university status in 1992 and its present name in 2001. The main campus is in the hea ...

's main campus and multiple retail parks.

Places for culture

Lincoln city centre is home to many cultural buildings and venues such as Lincoln Central Library,

New Theatre Royal Lincoln The New Theatre Royal Lincoln is a theatre in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. The present theatre, initially called the ''New Theatre Royal'', was built in 1893 to the designs of Bertie Crewe and W.G.R. Sprague. After an explosion and fire in 1 ...

Usher Art Gallery The Usher Gallery is an art museum in Lincoln, England. The gallery displays a collection of artworks by painters such as J. M. W. Turner and L. S. Lowry. Established in 1927, it is run as part of Lincoln Museum. History James Ward Usher was ...

and the

Engine Shed A motive power depot (MPD) or locomotive depot, or traction maintenance depot (TMD), is where locomotives are usually housed, repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds" or just "sheds". Facilit ...

Gallery

Places of worship

The city centre is home to many active and former churches. Notable churches in the city centre include: *

St Swithin's Church, Lincoln St. Swithin's Church, Lincoln is a Grade II* listed parish church located in St Swithin's Square, Lincoln, England, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England.The Buildings of England. Lincolnshire. Nikolaus Pevsner. 1989 The congregation is still active as ...

* Alive Church, Lincoln *

Central Methodist Church, Lincoln Central Methodist Church, Lincoln (formerly known as Portland Place Methodist Church) is a Grade II listed Methodist church in the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. It is an active place of worship in the Boultham area of the city near S ...

* St Hugh's Church, Lincoln *

St Benedict's Church, Lincoln St Benedict's Church, Lincoln is an ancient church in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England which is mentioned in 1107 and before the English Civil War was the Lincoln civic church. It was extensively destroyed in the Civil War, and was only partial ...

* St Katherine's Church, Lincoln It is also the site of a number of demolished

churches including: St Cuthbert's off

; St George's, now the site of the Lincoln Museum; St Lawrence's; Holy Trinity in Clasketgate; St Edmund's; St Stephen-in-Newland; and All Saints in Hungate.

Gallery

Places of recreation

Lincoln City Centre is on the northern and southern banks of the

and it runs directly from the east of the city into

in the west of the city. Most of the river forms a small waterside plaza which runs along Waterside North and South to the City Square before it passes under High Bridge and under Wigford Way before merging into Brayford Pool and continuing west as

Foss Dyke The Foss Dyke, or Fossdyke, connects the River Trent at Torksey to Lincoln, the county town of Lincolnshire, and may be the oldest canal in England that is still in use. It is usually thought to have been built around AD 120 by the Roma ...

. The Foss Dyke then becomes a canal walk between Lincoln and

Saxilby Saxilby is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, about north-west from Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Lincoln, on the A57 road at the junction of the B1241. It is part of the Civil parishes in England, civil ...

via

Burton Waters Burton Waters is a marina village in the civil parish of Burton, Lincolnshire, Burton in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies off the A57 road west of Lincoln, England, Lincoln, northeast of Skellingthorpe and southeast o ...

and

Skellingthorpe Skellingthorpe is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the village at the 2011 census was 3,465. It is situated west of Lincoln, England, Lincoln, southeast of Saxilby, north ...

. Parks and gardens in and around the city centre include Temple Gardens, South Commons, West Common and

Lincoln Arboretum The Lincoln Arboretum is a park in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. The park has two ponds and varied tree cover, and was designed and laid out between 1870 and 1872 by the celebrated Victorian gardener Edward Milner. The arboretum is a park of ...

near the university offers a wide range of boating activities, coffee houses and bars as well as a cinema. The city is also home to many nightclubs and bars. Most notable is the

which hosts many events and is the largest events venue in the city centre.

Transport

Lincoln city centre is pedestrianised and surrounded by through routes, Wigford Way, Tritton Road, Melville Street and Monks Road. Most traffic around the city centre uses the A46 and Lincoln Eastern Bypass.

Lincoln railway station Lincoln railway station (previously Lincoln Central) serves the city of Lincoln, England. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway, who provide the majority of services from the station, with other services b ...

is operated by

East Midlands Railway East Midlands Railway (EMR; legally Transport UK East Midlands Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Transport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise. Originally owned by Abellio (transport compan ...

but is served by other train operators including

London North Eastern Railway London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is a British train operating company which operates most services on the East Coast Main Line. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Department for Transport (DfT). The company's name echoes that of the Londo ...

and

Northern Trains Northern Trains, Trade name, trading as Northern, is a British train operating company that operates Commuter rail, commuter and Inter-city rail, medium-distance intercity services in the North of England. It is owned by DfT Operator for the Dep ...

. The station is adjacent to Lincoln Transport Hub. Lincoln offers

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...

for residents and tourists to go up and down Steep Hill, the castle and cathedral and different parts of the city centre. This service is a sight-seeing bus service. A walk and ride

shuttle bus A shuttle bus is a bus that travels a shorter route in comparison to most bus routes. Typically, shuttle buses travel in both directions between two points. Shuttle buses are designed to transport large groups of people who are all travelling ...

service allows walkers to board and alight whenever they wish to around the city centre. Lincoln currently has a cycling scheme with bikes available for hire through the HireBike scheme by

. However in 2022, this was in the process of being scrapped in favour of a new scheme and could include e-bikes.

Education

The

campus is alongside

and the River Witham. A branch of Access Creative College is on Claskengate near the High Street, and Lincoln College is on Monks Road. The city centre also has two schools,

Lincoln Minster School Lincoln Minster School (known locally as "LMS" or "The Minster") is a private co-educational day and boarding school in Lincoln, England. It comprises two schools: the preparatory, and senior school. While the school is now open to pupils from ...

(east of the cathedral) and St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School on Hampton Street.

Gallery

References

{{reflist Lincolnshire Lincoln, England East Midlands Yorkshire and the Humber