Westgate views in time-shift video

Westgate takes centre stage in today’s timeshift video by John Bennett of Light and Dreams Photography, charting how one of Lincoln’s most recognisable streets has changed over the centuries.

The footage moves between past and present views, revealing familiar landmarks alongside less obvious transformations, including changes to Lincoln Cathedral and its surroundings. Much of the housing visible today dates from the Victorian era, although demolition and redevelopment have reshaped parts of the area to serve its role at the heart of the city’s tourist quarter.

One of the most prominent buildings in the earliest images is The Strugglers Inn, a wellknown Westgate pub built in 1841 and a regular CAMRA award winner. Its name reflects the area’s darker past: public executions once took place nearby before later being moved to Lincoln Castle. The pub remains linked to local folklore, including stories of a ghostly dog said to haunt the building.

The second timeshift looks back towards the Westgate water tower, constructed in 1910–11 following a deadly typhoid outbreak caused by contaminated river water. The tower marked a turning point in the city’s public health, providing a new and reliable water supply. The image also shows rows of terraced housing that once stood where Westgate School is now located. The school first opened in 1895 and was later expanded in the early twentieth century.

An 18th century drawing by Samuel Hieronymus Grimm forms the third comparison, depicting Lincoln Cathedral with its western spires intact, prior to their removal in 1807. Also visible is in St Paul in the Bail, a church site with roots stretching back to the Roman period and rebuilt several times over the centuries.

The final timeshift, using a photograph from the 1960s, shows the Victorian St Paul’s Church shortly before its demolition in 1972, along with terraced houses that were later cleared to make way for a car park.