June 11, 2015 5.10 pm This story is over 113 months old

Lincoln’s hidden gems: Guildhall and Stonebow

Take a tour: Take a look around rarely seen spaces in Lincoln. First in the series is the Guildhall and Stonebow on Lincoln High Street.

Ask any Lincolnite for a secret city pearl and you’ll no doubt find yourself stumbling on a hidden space to treasure.

Some nooks between the city’s streetscape are so rarely explored they are left to reside in the archives, so our photographer is diving in to reveal them.

The first hidden space in the series is the Tudor Guildhall and Stonebow, which hovers above Lincoln High Street, where the southern gate to an old Roman city once stood.

The name ‘Stonebow’ comes from ‘stennibogi’, a Norse word meaning stone arch.

The Guildhall, which is the official ‘home’ of the Mayor of Lincoln, was finished in 1520 and replaced the Roman gateway to Colonia.

Occupying the whole of the second floor of the building, the Guildhall still plays host to full council meetings and City of Lincoln Council events.

It also houses numerous pieces of regalia, including the sword of King Richard II, the Mayor’s Chains of Office and the Mayor’s posy ring.

Find out more about the Guildhall and Stonebow, as well as free guided tours of the building on the Visit Lincoln website or by contacting the Lincoln Visitor Information Centre on 01522 545458.