Things to Do in Lincoln

By Ben Maples · Aug 14th 2020

Lincoln is a cathedral city in the East Midlands. The city is one of the most popular cities to study in in the UK and is also one of the country’s oldest cities.

In this guide, we will show you the various things to do in Lincoln.

Location

Lincoln is a city based in the East Midlands and boasts a rough population of 94,600 according to the most recent figures. The city has been a figure of education within the UK for decades, and it certainly lives up to its reputation.

Things to do in Lincoln

We always want to visit the places that have the very best regarding nightlife, and it’s even better when we study there! Lincoln is no different; there’s everything that you could need to be offered here, so we’ve compiled a alist of three places that we think will be right up your alley!

The Strugglers Inn, is our first suggestion and it’s a slightly more chilled out atmosphere than you might be used to (it runs a book club on some nights), but it’s also a perfect place to enjoy a drink and to eat and spend time with friends. It’s a night out but a more relaxed one than other places, so you can get the best of both worlds! The Engine Shed is very different from The Strugglers Inn, although it has live comedy, it’s also at the forefront of live music too, with live DJ sets or getting artists that are big in the charts right now coming in too! Definitely worth looking into, you’ll be coming back time after time after time, we promise. The Strait and Narrow is our third and final place we recommend. This bar has a very pleasant and enticing aroma, and although it seems to be a hybrid of bar, restaurant, live music and pub, so they will have something that will attract you, guaranteed!

Lincoln is full of history, and its heritage is something that the city celebrates very passionately. The city has a handful of museums to commemorate their history including the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, The Collection, and the Usher Gallery, all of which are available and affordable to all members of the public.

Lincoln has a number of cinemas too. If you’re looking to grab the very best in upcoming films from Hollywood, then we recommend heading to the local Odeon. However, if you’re looking for more independent films, then we recommend joining one of the city’s many film societies which will allow you to do so.

Lincoln has many activities that bring the community together including the Lincoln Book Festival, the Gainsborough Old Hall Beer Festival, and Asylum Steampunk Festival all of which are available for the public to visit and are affordable too; we recommend that you go along and see what all the fuss is about!

Transport

The city of Lincoln has a series of extensive transportation routes.

The city’s main railway station is Lincoln (formerly known was Lincoln Central), after the closure of Lincoln St. marks in 1985. The station has five different platforms and travels to a variety of major cities, such as Sheffield, London and Nottingham.

The closest airport to the city is East Midlands Airport, which is 43 miles away in Leicester(/guides/city/leicester/), which flies internationally and commercially. There is als the Humberside Airport, which is just outside of the city. The airport is mainly used for regional and private flights.

Universities in the City

There are two universities in the city.

The main university in the city is University of Lincoln was started in 1861 as the Hull School of Art, the school subsequently moved and rebranded many times over its history, it then received university status in 1992 and rebranded as the University of Humberside, then rebranded as the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside in 1996 and then finally rebranded as the University of Lincoln in 2001.

The student body is represented by the University of Lincoln Students' Union (ULSU), which has stood since 1992. The union is considered a charity and is registered as a company limited by guarantee. The union also won the National Union of Students (NUS) Higher Education Students' Union of the Year Award in 2015. The student union also owns The Shed, which is an oncampus pub after ownership changed in 2014.

The university regularly takes part in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Leagues.

The other university in the city is Bishop Grosseteste University was established in 1862 originally as Diocesan Training School for Mistresses. The school was given degree awarding powers in 2006, but was not given full university status until 2012, when they rebranded as Bishop Grosseteste University.

The student body of BGU is represented by the Bishop Grosseteste Student Union (BGSU). Like the University of Lincoln, BGU takes part in the BUCS Leagues. The university also has its own sport and fitness centre which has a gym, a sports hall and a number of football pitches.

History

The settlement can be traced back to the Iron Age, where the inhabitants mainly used wooden structures to live in, the settlement itself can be dated back as far as the 1st century BC.

After the Romans conquered Britain in 48 AD they took over the settlement and built a fortress in the area which overlooked what was then the River Witham, but is now the Brayford Pool.

After the Romans eventually left, the city was quickly welcoming to a number of Germainic tribes, travelling from the North Sea. After the first Viking raids on the country, the settlement became essential for the UK for overseas trading and for building connections.

After the Norman conquest of England, William I then asked for a castle (Lincoln Castle) to be built on top of the old Roman settlement. Lincoln then gained city status in 1072. In 1141, Lincoln bore witness to the battle of King Stephen and Empress Matilda’s forces, Stephen fell and was taken to Bristol.

After this, Lincoln very quickly became one of the richest cities in England, mainly due to the city’s roaring trade in cloth and wool, which was exported abroad and quickly became one of the biggest cities in the country by the thirteenth century.

By the time the English Civil War had broken out in 1642, Lincoln’s ownership changed a great many times, one minute it was a Royalist city, the next a Parliamentary one. As a result, the city’s infrastructure took a critical hit. This meant that the city was falling behind other cities at the time, as Lincoln’s access to the sea was lost and their industry fled to neighbouring settlements, towns and cities, though this began to pick up towards the beginning of the Georgian era.

When the Industrial Revolution came around, the city was able to move on from the agricultural work that had saved the city in the Georgian era and began to focus on industry once more. With the introduction of railway lines, the city was better able to copy with commuting and with general industry and saw the rise of world famous companies such as Clayton’s, Proctor’s, Ruston’s and William Foster’s and Lincoln quickly became one of the foremost cities for engineering and for building locomotives and heavy machinery.

During both World Wars, Lincoln helped the war effort with a number of important war production lines being established. In fact, the first tanks to be used in combat were designed in Lincoln in World War I and in World War II, the city produced tanks, aircraft, vehicles and munitions.

Sport

The main football team in Lincoln is Lincoln City FC, who play at the Sincil Bank Stadium. The club was initially part owned by ITV Digital, however, after ITV Digital went bust, the club looked set to go bankrupt, until a fund raising venture from the fans saved the club’s fortunes. The club was the first team to ever have been relegated from the Football League to the Conference after automatic relegation was introduced in 1986. The team regularly takes part in the FA Cup, the team even reached as far as the Quarter-Finals, losing to eventual winners Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in a 5-0 defeat. There are also other clubs from the city as well, such as Lincoln United FC, Lincoln Griffins Ladies FC and Lincoln Moorlands Railway FC.

The city also hosts a number of different sports and teams such as the American football team Lincolnshire Bombers, who play in the BAFA National Leagues, the Lincolnshire Bombers Roller Girls, the Imposters Rollergirls, and also the Lincoln Rowing centre.

There is also a Rugby Union team in the city, the Lincoln Lions, who play in the Inter-County Championship.