Schools

Lincoln Cathedral is an iconic building bursting with history from the time of William the Conqueror.

It was commissioned by William and first built by one of his right hand men, his cousin Bishop Remigius, and is an inspiring and educational location for a School Visit. Follow the links to find out more about its history and architecture.

On this page we outline the visits we offer to schools, but also offer some advice about your visit.  How to Book and our Terms and Conditions are set out on the pages that follow.

Visits

We offer visits to the main body of the cathedral but also to our unique Library.

To get the most out of your School Visit to the cathedral itself, please make sure you book in with one of our Cathedral Children’s Guides. (Details can be found on the How to Book page). Guided visits are no more expensive and add so much to the children’s experience.

Pilgimage Tours are the most popular for schools wanting a general introduction to the Cathedral building, and its use for worship. Pilgrimage tours focus on 5 key areas of the Cathedral (the Narthex, the Font, the Crossing, St Hugh’s Choir and the Angel Choir), looking at the symbols which are an integral part of Christianity, and also historical and architectural aspects of the building.  Every effort is made to link with R.E. National Curriculum requirements at Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 and also to connect with English, Mathematics, History and Creative Arts in response to schools’ requests.

We can provide opportunities for schools to prepare and present their own act of worship if they wish, or to have demonstrated a liturgical service such as Christian Baptism. This could help meet the Curriculum need to understand initiation ceremonies in various faiths.

A ‘Soft Toy Safari’ for Reception and Year 1 classes encourages children to look for animals in the Cathedral’s carvings of wood and stone and to make connections with relevant Bible stories.

Library Workshops

Medieval Library – the making of a medieval manuscript

Visits start in the Medieval Library where children are shown why medieval manuscripts were so rare and so expensive to produce.  They discover how parchment was made and learn about the work of the medieval scribe.

Sitting on a medieval reading bench at a medieval reading desk they will try to imagine what it must have been like studying in a library before the invention of electric lighting.

There is an interactive question and answer session with the children handling real parchment and being shown the types of tools used by the parchment maker and the scribe.              The session ends with the children examining some of the Library’s medieval manuscripts.

Wren Library – papermaking and printing

We then travel forward in time by 250 years as we step into the Wren Library where children are shown the importance of two inventions: paper making and printing and how they helped in the spread of knowledge by speeding up the production of books, making books more readily available to a larger number of people.

They are told how paper was originally made from linen and how this replaced parchment.  They then learn about the invention of printing and how this made books easier and cheaper to produce.

Together they explore the work done in a medieval printers shop and then they have a go themselves at printing a word on the library’s printing press, trying to master the art of setting the letters from right to left.

Please see the How to Book page for details.

Facilities and advice for your visit

Toilets, including facilities for the disabled are located off the south walk of the Cloister.

Picnic lunch areas are available for supervised children in the Cloister, the Secret Garden (adjacent to the Cathedral Centre) or the Chapter House (when available) at no extra charge.

You can book to use the Cathedral Centre for lunch at a charge of £6.25 per 30 minutes. No more than 15 in a group. Groups of 30 divided into two groups can be accommodated with a change-over after 30 minutes.

Bags / lunchboxes must be kept with parties at all times, unless the storage facility or a room in the Cathedral Centre has been booked (see the Booking Form).

At the end of your tour, please remember to visit the Cathedral Shop. Large parties may be divided at busy times.

Remember that the Cathedral can be cold, even in summer.

Booking

If you would like to book please go to the How to Book page. If you would like to talk about dates and obtain any further information please e-mail visitors@lincolncathedral.com or phone our communications office on 01522 561600

Choir outreach project

We hope that your visit will inspire you. One way of continuing the relationship is through our choir outreach project. Have look here and see what you think.