Highs and Lows: A Timeline of Lincoln

This blog post was originally written in 2023 for a document produced as part of a Ted X series of events in the city of Lincoln. The focus of the document and series of events was on urban renewal and I was asked to write a piece on the most pivotal periods of Lincoln's history and the impact on the city.

In the piece I highlighted four periods in the city's history that I believe are significant.

Highs and Lows

As a local tour guide in the historic city of Lincoln, I have become quite used to trying to sum up the fascinating and turbulent history of the city in bitesize chunks for visitors and tourists.

I often describe Lincoln’s history to visitors as that of a rollercoaster, with highs and lows throughout the 2000 or so year period that Lincoln has existed. That’s because Lincoln’s history is rocky to say the least. The city seesaws through the centuries, at times being one of the most significant and powerful places in England with large population increases as a result; whilst at other times shrinking to the size of a small market town.

Birth and Growth

Lincoln begins life as a small Iron Age settlement known as Lindon, on the banks of the Brayford Pool. This natural body of water is synonymous with the city and the reason why a settlement is located here at all. The positioning of the pool, the settlement of Lindon and the nearby hill made for a perfect place for the Ninth Legion to set up a legionary fortress in 48 AD on the fringes of the then expanding Roman Empire. This fortress would later develop into a thriving community of retired soldiers known as a colonia; giving the settlement the name of Lindum Colonia.

Over the centuries the city expands into an impressive walled city at the convergence of two important Roman roads, Ermine Street and Fosse Way; which along with links via the River Trent and Witham, provided links across Britannia and further afield. Lindum Colonia is a significant settlement in Roman Britannia until the Roman Empire begins to contract in the 5th Century, when many cities like Lindum Colonia are left to their own devices and military and economic support is removed from Britannia.

Power and Wealth

The shell of the Roman city continues to be used by various peoples throughout the Early Middle Ages to the Norman Conquest in 1066 when Lincoln begins to see another transformation.

The city is seen as strategically important by William the Conqueror who orders a new castle to be built in 1068 right in the heart of the former Roman city.  In addition, the formation of the Bishop of Lincoln and the building of the first cathedral in Lincoln between 1072 and 1092 further increases the power and strategic importance of the city. The Bishop of Lincoln becomes a powerful position within England in the medieval period with the dioceses stretching from the River Thames in the south to the River Humber in the north. This is apparent in the scale of Lincoln’s Medieval Bishop’s Palace which still survives in ruined formed today.

Lincoln prospered during this period through the weaving of wool, and in 1291 the city was issued with the wool staple, becoming a primary port for the export of wool and the third largest city in England. However in the 14th Century the prospects of Lincoln begin to fall as the wool staple is moved to nearby Boston; this is further exacerbated by the dissolution of the monasteries in the 15th Century cutting the power of the church in Lincoln, with it finally being referred to as a one-street town in the 18th Century.

Industry and Innovation

1846 was a good year for Lincoln. It marked the opening of the first railway line into the city, unlocking all the possibilities the Industrial Revolution had to offer to Lincoln. This coupled with the dredging of waterway connections to the city earlier in the 18th Century allowed a new industry to prosper in Lincoln. This is the age of steam, and Lincoln was a hot bed of young engineers eager to make a name for themselves by taking advantage of the agriculture in and around Lincolnshire. The population of Lincoln grows tremendously during this period as job opportunities increase, and engineering firms in the city become known across the world for the development of agricultural machinery.

That prowess continues into the 20th Century and specifically WWI, where we see companies from Lincoln having a dramatic impact on the outcome of the war. During meetings at the White Hart Hotel in the city, engineers William Tritton and Walter Gordon Wilson design the very first tanks which see action on battlefields during this period.

Rebirth and Prosperity

Towards the middle of the 20th Century industry in Lincoln begins to decline, leaving behind scars in the city’s landscape from its industrial heyday. In the 1990s work begins to regenerate an area of the city known as the Holmes Goods Yard; former railway sidings which are developed into a new city centre university campus. The University of Lincoln opens in 1996 with an intake of approximately 500 students.

Today the numbers are staggering; over 15,000 students at the university alone, 1 in 6 of the population of the city have a connection to the university and approximately £450 million is brought into the local economy through the university. The impact on the city is clear to see. Upmarket shops and eatery chains are vying for places on Lincoln’s High Street, investment in redevelopment and restoration projects across sectors including hospitality and tourism, and improved transport links such as regular direct trains to London. All these things are helping Lincoln ‘buck the trend’ when compared to similar towns and cities.

I think we may be seeing somewhat of a renaissance in Lincoln. As to how long this latest period of prosperity will last remains to be seen, but it cannot be denied the dramatic change the addition of the university has had on the city in recent years. A positive change which is easily comparable to other highs in Lincoln’s history, coming with it a boom in population and growth for the city.

Why not visit Lincoln and see for yourself the degrees of change through history. Book onto one of our award winning walking tours and see and learn first hand the history and architecture of our fascinating and beautiful city.