Lincoln Cathedral, Lincoln Minster, or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, in Lincoln (Lincolnshire in the East Midlands of England), is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Lincoln. It is one of the few English cathedrals built from the rock it is standing on, and has owned the existing quarry, on Riseholme Road, since 1876. This quarry is expected to run out of stone in 2021, because the stonemasons use more than 100 tonnes of stone per year for maintenance and repairs.
Built in the Gothic style, like many of the medieval cathedrals of England, is the fourth largest in the UK (in floor area) at around 5,000 square metres. Construction commenced in 1072 and continued in several phases throughout the High Middle Ages. For 238 years, between 1311 and 1548, when the central spire collapsed (and wasn't rebuilt), it was the tallest building in the world, and the first building to hold that title after the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The cathedral features two major rose windows (the "Dean's Eye", on the north side, and the "Bishop's Eye", on the south side), which are highly uncommon for England. Another major architectural feature are the spectacular vaults, both original and experimental, attributed to French-Normand master mason Geoffrey de Noiers. In addition, the cathedral organ is one of the finest examples of the work of "Father" Henry Willis, dating from 1898.
Hugh of Wells, Bishop of Lincoln, was one of the signatories to Magna Carta and for hundreds of years the cathedral held one of the four remaining copies of the original, now securely displayed in Lincoln Castle. In 2005, the cloisters and chapter house were used for the filming of The Da Vinci Code (based on the book of the same name). The cathedral took on the role of Westminster Abbey, as the Abbey had refused to permit filming.
About the stamp
The stamp is part of the series Images of England, about which I wrote here.
References
Lincoln Cathedral - Wikipedia
Lincoln Cathedral - Official website
Sender: Irina Vasilescu
Sent from Lincoln (England / United Kingdom), in 2018
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