Voice of Lincoln: Special Steep Hill

By Nicholas Beaumont nick

Steep Hill has recently been voted the Best Street in Britain by the Academy of Urbanisation, who recognised not only the street’s history, but also its thriving independent retail outlets.

The Lincolnite asked residents what they think of Steep Hill, and is it indeed the best street Britain has to offer?

Jo Housham, 36

“It won because it’s so oldy worldy, and the shops are also quite unusual, so I think that’s why people like it. I come from Hull, but am originally from here, so know Lincoln well. People like it because of the history. The shops are fitting to what’s around here, with some nice tea rooms. It’s very pretty, and it’s just nice. A lot of Lincoln is new, so it’s nice to come into the older parts with the cathedral and castle, and the independent shops which are nice, rather than the chain shops.”

Jon Hanston, 23

“I’m not 100% sure it’s the best street in Britain. I’ve been to places like York that have similar sort of streets, maybe a bit better, but obviously York is a bigger city. I’ve grown up here, and I’ve got a lot of admiration for Lincoln itself. Steep Hill is one of the most historic places in Lincoln, and of course it’s surrounded by the Cathedral and Castle. If you bring a date here that doesn’t know about the city, it’s really good because they feel the history and get really excited. So I think it’s up there, but maybe not the best.”

Michael Hyde, 44

“It seems like quite a nice street. I’ve only just arrived in Lincoln, but it seems really good from the time I’ve spent here. There’s lots of galleries, and the cobbled area is nice – you don’t see much of it about in Britain. There’s also a lot of old buildings which are quite interesting. There are other streets I like in Britain, and York has some good ones too. But the cobbled effect and narrow width of Steep Hill make it really nice to see. It’s nice to see a city keeping its character rather than tarmacing it over and widening it to allow vehicles through.”

Sarah Hanely, 37

“I like the difference in the shops, everything’s different and they’re all independent. Nice clothes, nice tea, good book shops. We went to a tea shop earlier, and we’ve just come from the Harlequin book shop, and it was absolutely lovely. I come from Scunthorpe myself, but I come here a lot. I like the history, and my kids absolutely love it.”

Nicholas is studying at the University of Lincoln for an MA in Creative Writing. He is a published poet, and an editor of arts magazine b[liminal].