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Cathedral Tours

With a history spanning more than 950 years, Lincoln Cathedral Tours are full of stories of the people, architecture and events that have taken place at this sacred site.

A floor tour is included in your admission to help you make the most of your visit. In addition, you can choose from our selection of specialist tours to find out more about specific areas of the Cathedral.

To avoid disappointment, we recommend booking these popular tours in advance as places are limited. Read on to find out more and to book your tickets …

Explore Lincoln Cathedral with an experienced guide to find out more about its history

The history of Lincoln Cathedral spans from the present day back to the beginnings of the first cathedral in 1072.

Join our informative and engaging guides to explore this amazing building and discover more about the history of the place and the people that have worshipped and worked here over the centuries.

When does this tour take place? 

Floor tours are available Monday to Saturday -please ask at the welcome desk to find out the time of the next tour.

How long will the tour last?

Each tour will last approximately 60 minutes

How much does the tour cost?

The floor tour is included as part of your cathedral admission.

Explore the roof space of Lincoln Cathedral with views across the City.

Our friendly guides will you show you the fascinating structures that hold up the roof of the Cathedral.

We’ll give you an insight into the workmanship required to build and maintain this stunning building. You’ll also get up close to our stained glass windows, visit one of our bell chambers and there is an opportunity to enjoy views down the full length of the nave and across the city from the Cathedral’s West Front.

If you love architecture, this tour is for you!

When does this tour take place?

Monday to Friday at 11am and 1pm, Saturday 11am, 1pm and 3pm

How long will the tour last? Each tour will last approximately 1 hour 45 minutes

How much does it cost? Tours cost £7.50 per person in addition to the general admission fee.

What else do I need to know? The tour needs to begin on time and due to the nature of the tour you cannot join after the tour has begun. If you arrive late you will forfeit your place.

A general level of fitness is required to climb the steep staircases.

An induction will be provided before the tour commences, and a guide will be with you at all times.

New dates will be added regularly, so please check back if your preferred dates are not yet available.

This tour is not suitable for those with a fear of heights.

All participants must be 14 years or older.

Experience fabulous views and see much of Lincolnshire and beyond

Climb more than 300 steps to reach the top of the Central Tower of Lincoln Cathedral and take in the fantastic 360 degree views of the city, county and beyond.

On the way up our guides will share much of the history of the Cathedral and you will be able to see the clock mechanism and bells which ring the quarter hour every day.

This tour runs on Saturdays and Bank Holidays (excluding Good Friday) during the summer months, at 11.15am and 1.15pm.

Each tour will last approximately 90 minutes

Tours cost £7.50 per person in addition to the general admission fee.

What else do I need to know?

The tour needs to begin on time and due to the nature of the tour you cannot join after the tour has begun. If you arrive late you will forfeit your place.

New dates will be added every few weeks, so please check back if your preferred dates are not yet available.

Historic Graffiti Tour

Gain an insight into the people have have literally left their mark on lincoln cathedral.

Who would imagine that a world-class heritage site and important church like Lincoln Cathedral would be covered in graffiti?

And yet a recent Historic Graffiti Survey revealed almost 3,000 marks in the ground floor areas alone!

From cavemen to Banksy, throughout history it seems the few people can resist the urge to leave their mark on a wall or building, and Lincoln Cathedral is no exception. From the floor to the top of the tower there are hundreds of examples of historic graffiti.

Join us on our Historic Graffiti Tour to gain an insight into the hopes, fears and beliefs of the ordinary people who have gone before us and found it necessary to leave their mark as inscriptions on the fabric of this magnificent building.

The tour takes place at 1.45pm every Wednesday.

How long will the tour take?

How much will the tour cost?

Nature and architecture tour

Join photographer bruce hargrave for a unique photography tour of lincoln cathedral..

After the initial meet and greet, there will be an opportunity to take some photos in the Cloister area, followed by a trip up the central tower where you can see the internal structure of the tower and take photos of the structure. A combination of the natural and man made world, that co-exists at the Cathedral.

With luck, we may see (and hear!) the Cathedral’s resident peregrine falcons. If you have a long lens for your camera (and/or binoculars or telescope) definitely bring them with you – but they are not essential for the tour and we hope to have some binoculars available for you to share. You may also wish to bring a tripod, if you have one.

We will spend at least half the time outside, so check the weather forecast the day before and dress appropriately. We will also tour the inside of the Chapter House roof – so a little bit of stair climbing (and heights) will be involved – but nothing too strenuous!

Bruce Hargrave – the photographer who is leading the tour – installed the peregrine cams that watch over the falcons’ nest site on the central tower. He will share his knowledge of these wonderful birds with you during the tour and point them out to you if they are around.

The next Nature and Architecture tour takes place on Saturday 15 June.

How much does this tour cost?

Tours cost £30 per person in addition to the general admission fee.

Numbers are limited, so pre-booking is essential.

Symbolism tour

Explore the symbolism and meaning of this inspiring and ornate building..

A symbol is defined as a clear graphic illustration representing people or items of religious significance, revealing the truth to those who know how to interpret it and concealing it from the uninitiated.

Discover the hidden meanings and symbols of the stone carvings and stained glass, both inside and outside the Cathedral, which you might otherwise miss.

Tours take place every Thursday at 1pm.

How long does this tour last?

What else do I need to know? 

Places are limited on each tour so it is recommended that you book in advance to guarantee a place.

Please note that Lincoln Cathedral tours may be cancelled at the Cathedral’s discretion.

Stained glass tour

Stunning stained glass windows fill the space with vivid colours and illuminate the building..

Join us on a tour of the stained glass in Lincoln Cathedral, some of which dates back to medieval times.

Read the stories and the history of the Cathedral as told in the stained glass.  Learn something of the makers and their styles.  Binoculars recommended.

This tour takes place on the last Friday of the month at 1pm

How long does the tour last? 

Guided outdoor tour

Explore the exterior of lincoln cathedral with an experienced guide to learn more about the architecture, the wonderful carvings and the history of the cathedral close..

Take a journey around the outside of the cathedral and travel through history as you explore the building and learn how it has developed over the centuries.  View the remains of Bishop Remigius’ Norman Cathedral, the magnificent Gothic additions started by Bishop Hugh, all the way through to the modern exterior carvings of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Hear the story of the 12th century Romanesque Frieze one of the great treasures of Romanesque sculpture in Britain and have the opportunity to visit the little seen panel of the Frieze on what had previously been the south wall of the Norman Cathedral but is now within the Ringers Chapel.

On your tour you will hear about the Cathedral Close, surrounded by a great wall built in the 14th century to protect the Cathedral and its residents from “robbers and other evil doers” and the people that have lived in the Close throughout its history.  Within the Close is Vicars Court, the oldest surviving Vicars’ Choral buildings in England.

There is so much to be learned when viewing our magnificent Cathedral when accompanied by a knowledgeable guide!

When does the tour take place? Every Monday from April to the end of September at 1.30pm.

How long will the tour last? Each tour will last approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.

How much does the tour cost? Tours cost £7.50 per person.

What else do I need to know? A general level of fitness is required as the tour consists of walking one third of a mile around the exterior of the Cathedral and participants will be standing throughout.

The tour is not weather dependent but may be cancelled in extreme conditions.

An adult must accompany children.

Please note, the route of tour may be adjusted depending on Works renovations (scaffolding / hoarding / general accessibility)

For all Lincoln Cathedral tours, please arrive at least 15 minutes before the tour start time, and pay admission at our welcome desk and receive your tour information.

Please note, all tours are subject to change with no notice. We reserve the right to cancel any tour. If we do need to cancel all tickets will be refunded.

Tickets are sold as non-returnable and non-refundable.

Tour Vouchers

Give the gift of a great day out.

Did you know, you can purchase tour vouchers for Lincoln Cathedral? They’re the ideal gift for anyone who loves history, or wants to explore more of Lincoln Cathedral with one of our amazing guides. The voucher includes admission to Lincoln Cathedral and the tour of your choice, and can be booked for as many people as you like.

Tour vouchers are available from the Welcome desk at Lincoln Cathedral

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Lincoln Cathedral

More about the area

Lincoln Cathedral is one of the most spectacular Gothic buildings that held the record for the world’s tallest building for over two centuries. Enjoy exploring the magnificent exterior and interiors, colourful stained glass windows and discovering the famous Lincoln Imp. With free entry for children, Lincoln Students, and dogs, Lincoln Cathedral is the perfect place to visit with your entire family while discovering over 1000 years of history and culture.

01522 561 600

www.lincolncathedral.com

[email protected]

Internationally acclaimed, one of Europe’s finest examples of Gothic architecture

Discover Lincoln Cathedral, the spectacular and globally iconic landmark. Standing tall over the city of Lincoln for hundreds of years and appearing in Young Victoria and The Da Vinci Code, Lincoln Cathedral is an awe-inspiring and magnificent landmark recognised all over the world. William Conquerer commissioned Remiquius de Fécamp, the first Bishop of Lincoln to build Lincoln Cathedral in the 11th century during the Norman invasion of Britain.

Lincoln Cathedral was once the tallest building in the world after the spire was added in 1311, overtaking the Great Pyramid of Giza until 1549 when the spire collapsed in a turbulent storm.

Despite the cathedral’s dramatic scale there are many small and intricate hidden surprises to discover, including the famous Lincoln Imp.

Lincoln Cathedral has been described as “out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles and roughly speaking worth any two other cathedrals we have” by John Ruskin, leading Victorian art critic and writer. Lincoln Cathedral today remains recognised as one of the most precious pieces of architecture in the British Isles and on an international scale. Lincoln Cathedral is a must-see attraction when visiting the county.

Iconic Lincolnshire

Celebrating 950 years of Lincoln Cathedral.

Lincolnshire’s magnificent and treasured example of Gothic architecture that has stood tall over the city of Lincoln. Explore Lincolnshire’s heritage and experience an icon as never before – with their new visitor centre, shop and exhibition space that complement the story of the Cathedral’s 950 year-old story.

Gallery & Discovery Centre

As well as exploring the main Cathedral building, visitors can discover centuries of history in the exhibition gallery – where the internationally important Romanesque Frieze takes pride of place. In the Discovery Centre all members of the family can get hands on with history as they explore the engaging, interactive exhibits.

Free entry for children & students

Children under the age of 16 and Lincoln students can enter Lincoln Cathedral for free all year round. Younger children can also pick up an explorer’s backpack from the welcome desk to help interactively and creatively guide them through the Cathedral and to find the Lincoln Imp!

what's on at Lincoln Cathedral

Here is a selection of the events planned at Lincoln Cathedral. Visit their website for the complete calendar.

Libera in Concert at Lincoln Cathedral

G4 Christmas Concert at Lincoln Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral Experiences

Guided Roof Tour

Duration 1.5 hours

Price: £7.50 plus general admission fee

What's included?

Explore the roof space of Lincoln Cathedral with views across the City. The friendly guides will show you the fascinating structures that hold up the roof of the Cathedral.

You'll get an insight into the workmanship required to build and maintain this stunning building. You’ll also get up close to the stained glass windows, visit one of the bell chambers and for those who are not afraid of heights, there is an opportunity to enjoy views down the full length of the Nave and across the City from the Cathedral’s West Front. If you love architecture, this tour is for you.

opening times

The Cathedral is open daily from Morning Prayer until the end of Evensong or Evening Prayer.

From time to time, Lincoln Cathedral will have restricted access to certain areas. This can be due to a number of reasons including services, events or maintenance.

Restricted Access Information

entry & prices

Access to services is always free of charge. 

Free entry to Lincoln Students (University of Lincoln, Bishop Grosseteste University, and Lincoln College - with valid ID)

*Donate your entry fee to the Cathedral and add gift aid in exchange for an annual pass (free access for 12 months)

If you are a companion or carer for a visitor with a disability, please let the Cathedral team know on arrival and they will provide complimentary admission.

more information

Minster Yard

Lincolnshire

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 01522 561 600

there’s lots more nearby

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Roots Dating Back to the 12th Century

Our History

Decades of educational excellence to build upon and improve., origins of the school.

The roots of Lincoln Minster School and its predecessors reach as far back as the 12th Century. The school was formed by the amalgamation of long-established and highly esteemed educational institutions (including the Lincoln Cathedral School), with many of the original historic listed buildings still in use by the school today.

Decades of Tradition

Our heritage also brings us centuries of best practice, knowledge and wisdom to build upon. Many traditions practiced in our heritage are still in motion today, including our end of term Cathedral Service.

The school has a long history of educating the Cathedral Choristers and our talented students are still frequently selected to sing with the world-famous choir to this day.

Our Heritage

As well as stunning listed architecture, our heritage also provides the school with a strong foundation within the city and the lincolnshire community. this allows us to be one of the most notable schools in the county and for centuries being a producer of exceptionally talented and successful alumni. , our predecessors include:.

• Cathedral School - Est. Circa 12th Century 
• St Joseph's Convent School - Est. 1905
• St Mary's Preparatory School - Est. 1950
• Stonefield House School - Est. 1980

Our History in Photos

A selection of historic photos from the school archives.

Arrange a Visit

Join us at one of our Open Events or arrange a Private Tour.

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Discover study life and boarding at Lincoln Minster School.

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Start your journey with our quick online application form.

Information for Parents

Opening Times and Admission Prices

Open all year round on Sundays between 11am – 4pm Tuesdays and Thursdays between 11am – 2pm (by appointment)

Admission £5 per adult, accompanied under 18s free You can pay by cash or card (We are pleased to support Lincoln Cathedral by offering 20% off museum admission to all holders of the cathedral community card)

Address and Contact Details

Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum Whisby Road North Hykeham Lincoln LN6 3QT

Tel:  01522 500566 Email:  [email protected]

Getting Here

By Bus Stagecoach Lincolnshire services run along Doddington Road. The ‘Swanholme Tavern’ bus stop is less than 5 minutes walk to/from the museum.   More information and timetables here

By Train Hykeham Railway Station is around a 10 minute walk from the museum and is served by East Midlands Railway services between Lincoln and Newark/Nottingham

By Car We are a short distance from the Lincoln bypass (A46) and have on site parking (although alternative arrangement will apply for special events)

Group and School Visits

Group and school visits are welcome by arrangement throughout the year, and can be arranged outside public opening hours. Please contact us to discuss your requirements. For school visits, we are pleased to offer a complimentary advance visit for teachers to plan teaching materials and carry out a risk assessment. Light refreshments can be provided (not included in admission price) if arranged, and we can provide space for children on school visits to eat packed lunches.

Accessibility

Our car park has several accessible parking bays and the museum, including both toilets are accessible to wheelchair users.

We regret that dogs, other than assistance dogs, cannot be brought into the museum 

Refreshments

Self service teas and coffees are available

Suggestions or feedback?

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The unexpected origins of a modern finance tool

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In the early 1600s, the officials running Durham Cathedral, in England, had serious financial problems. Soaring prices had raised expenses. Most cathedral income came from renting land to tenant farmers, who had long leases so officials could not easily raise the rent. Instead, church leaders started charging periodic fees, but these often made tenants furious. And the 1600s, a time of religious schism, was not the moment to alienate church members.

But in 1626, Durham officials found a formula for fees that tenants would accept. If tenant farmers paid a fee equal to one year’s net value of the land, it earned them a seven-year lease. A fee equal to 7.75 years of net value earned a 21-year lease.

This was a form of discounting, the now-common technique for evaluating the present and future value of money by assuming a certain rate of return on that money. The Durham officials likely got their numbers from new books of discounting tables. Volumes like this had never existed before, but suddenly local church officials were applying the technique up and down England.

As financial innovation stories go, this one is unusual. Normally, avant-garde financial tools might come from, well, the financial avant-garde — bankers, merchants, and investors hunting for short-term profits, not clergymen.

“Most people have assumed these very sophisticated calculations would have been implemented by hard-nosed capitalists, because really powerful calculations would allow you to get an economic edge and increase profits,” says MIT historian William Deringer, an expert in the deployment of quantitative reasoning in public life. “But that was not the primary or only driver in this situation.”

Deringer has published a new research article about this episode, “ Mr. Aecroid’s Tables: Economic Calculations and Social Customs in the Early Modern Countryside ,” appearing in the current issue of the Journal of Modern History . In it, he uses archival research to explore how the English clergy started using discounting, and where. And one other question: Why?

Enter inflation

Today, discounting is a pervasive tool. A dollar in the present is worth more than a dollar a decade from now, since one can earn money investing it in the meantime. This concept heavily informs investment markets, corporate finance, and even the NFL draft (where trading this year’s picks yields a greater haul of future picks). As the historian William N. Goetzmann has written, the related idea of net present value “is the most important tool in modern finance.” But while discounting was known as far back as the mathematician Leonardo of Pisa (often called Fibonacci) in the 1200s, why were English clergy some of its most enthusiastic early adopters?

The answer involves a global change in the 1500s: the “price revolution,” in which things began costing more, after a long period when prices had been constant. That is, inflation hit the world.

“People up to that point lived with the expectation that prices would stay the same,” Deringer says. “The idea that prices changed in a systematic way was shocking.”

For Durham Cathedral, inflation meant the organization had to pay more for goods while three-quarters of its revenues came from tenant rents, which were hard to alter. Many leases were complex, and some were locked in for a tenant’s lifetime. The Durham leaders did levy intermittent fees on tenants, but that led to angry responses and court cases.

Meanwhile, tenants had additional leverage against the Church of England: religious competition following the Reformation. England’s political and religious schisms would lead it to a midcentury civil war. Maybe some private landholders could drastically increase fees, but the church did not want to lose followers that way.

“Some individual landowners could be ruthlessly economic, but the church couldn’t, because it’s in the midst of incredible political and religious turmoil after the Reformation,” Deringer says. “The Church of England is in this precarious position. They’re walking a line between Catholics who don’t think there should have been a Reformation, and Puritans who don’t think there should be bishops. If they’re perceived to be hurting their flock, it would have real consequences. The church is trying to make the finances work but in a way that’s just barely tolerable to the tenants.”

Enter the books of discounting tables, which allowed local church leaders to finesse the finances. Essentially, discounting more carefully calibrated the upfront fees tenants would periodically pay. Church leaders could simply plug in the numbers as compromise solutions.

In this period, England’s first prominent discounting book with tables was published in 1613; its most enduring, Ambrose Acroyd’s “Table of Leasses and Interest,” dated to 1628-29. Acroyd was the bursar at Trinity College at Cambridge University, which as a landholder (and church-affiliated institution) faced the same issues concerning inflation and rent. Durham Cathedral began using off-the-shelf discounting formulas in 1626, resolving decades of localized disagreement as well.

Performing fairness

The discounting tables from books did not only work because the price was right. Once circulating clergy had popularized the notion throughout England, local leaders could justify using the books because others were doing it. The clergy were “performing fairness,” as Deringer puts it.

“Strict calculative rules assured tenants and courts that fines were reasonable, limiting landlords’ ability to maximize revenues,” Deringer writes in the new article.

To be sure, local church leaders in England were using discounting for their own economic self-interest. It just wasn’t the largest short-term economic self-interest possible. And it was a sound strategy.

“In Durham they would fight with tenants every 20 years [in the 1500s] and come to a new deal, but eventually that evolves into these sophisticated mechanisms, the discounting tables,” Deringer adds. “And you get standardization. By about 1700, it seems like these procedures are used everywhere.”

Thus, as Deringer writes, “mathematical tables for setting fines were not so much instruments of a capitalist transformation as the linchpin holding together what remained of an older system of customary obligations stretched nearly to breaking by macroeconomic forces.”

Once discounting was widely introduced, it never went away. Deringer’s Journal of Modern History article is part of a larger book project he is currently pursuing, about discounting in many facets of modern life.

Deringer was able to piece together the history of discounting in 17th-century England thanks in part to archival clues. For instance, Durham University owns a 1686 discounting book self-described as an update to Acroyd’s work; that copy was owned by a Durham Cathedral administrator in the 1700s. Of the 11 existing copies of Acroyd’s work, two are at Canterbury Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral.

Hints like that helped Deringer recognize that church leaders were very interested in discounting; his further research helped him see that this chapter in the history of discounting is not merely about finance; it also opens a new window into the turbulent 1600s.

“I never expected to be researching church finances, I didn’t expect it to have anything to do with the countryside, landlord-tenant relationships, and tenant law,” Deringer says. “I was seeing this as an interesting example of a story about bottom-line economic calculation, and it wound up being more about this effort to use calculation to resolve social tensions.” 

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THE 10 BEST Dzerzhinsky Sights & Historical Landmarks

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• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Nikolo-Ugreshskiy Monastery

2. Church of the Savior Transfiguration of Ugresh Monastery of St. Nicholas

3. Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in the Ugresh Monastery of St. Nicholas

4. Temple of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist of Ugresh Monastery of St. Nicholas

5. Chapel of Phenomena Image of St. Nicholas in Nikolo-Ugreshskiy Monastery

6. Temple of the Mother of God of All Who Sorrow Ugresh Nicholas Monastery

7. Monument to Dmitriy Donskoi

8. Peter and Paul Church in Ugresh Monastery of St. Nicholas

9. Cathedral of St. Nicholas

10. Monument to Creators of Missile Shield of Russia

11. Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

12. Sculpture Crying Boy

13. Chapel of the Passion of Nikolo-Ugreshskiy Monastery

14. Monument to Dzerzhinskiy

15. Dmitriy Donskoi's Temple

16. temple of holy spirit.

17. Temple of Makariy Nevskiy

18. Palestinian wall of the Nikolo-Ugreshsky monastery

19. Chapel of Our Lady of the Perishing

20. Pamyatniki A. S. Pushkinu

21. Memorial of the Great Patriotic War

22. Monument to Veterans of Local Wars

23. Monument-bust to academician B.P. Zhukov

24. Monument to St. Nicholas

25. Tserkov' Pitmana Ugreshskoy

26. pamyatnik prepodobnomu antoniyu kiyevo-pecherskomu.

• Schools & Academies

Lincoln Cathedral

Watch lincoln cathedral's education centre short film and take a browse through their schools visit brochure to see what they can offer you and your school..

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They hope it will inspire you and your pupils to visit this awe-inspiring place. Through immersive experiential learning and a sense of place, they aim to bring the Cathedral to life as never before. Your visit may be an ideal stimulus to teaching your Lincolnshire Locally Agreed RE Syllabus. It might be to discover first-hand your local history and historically significant people, periods and events, including the Romans to Normans, Tudors to English Civil War and more. They can also help with your STEM, geography, art and literacy topics too.

• Lincoln Catherdarl 23 24 School Visits Brochure

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