Travel back to the 1940s/50s in front of Lincoln Cathedral

#lincoln #history #thenandnow #nostalgia #memories #cathedral

Well here we are again looking towards the mighty west front of Lincoln Cathedral, with the old photo from the late 1940s, or early 1950s? Time shifts of the Cathedral tend not to get as many views as others, probably because people know there won’t be huge changes, as is the case here too, but I hope there are still things of interest in it.

This must be one of the most photographed views in the UK, with the timber framed Leigh Pemberton House on the left, then St. Mary Magdalene church, with Exchequer Gate in front of the magnificent cathedral, that was once the tallest building in the world.

Despite the similarities there are two striking differences between the photos. The obvious one is the traffic that used to pass through the square, and I’ve mentioned before about cycling through the square on my way to and from school in the late 1960s/early 70s.

I’m sure someone will be able to identify the vehicles in the old photo?

A more subtle difference is the condition of the stone buildings, including the Cathedral. They used to be horribly stained by the airborne pollution from the city’s heavy industry, and are much cleaner today. It took decades of continuous work behind scaffolding to change the Cathedral from the almost black church of my youth to the gleaming limestone of today.

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