The Survey of Lincoln and its work
Hello Lincoln’s weekend reads include articles from the Survey of Lincoln, so we thought we would invite ANDREW WALKER of the group explain more about its work and login tomorrow to find out about the vital water tanks in the city's uphill area.
The group has published a number of works since its inception, including a series of booklets that have focused upon the buildings and structures, both past and present, located in various neighbourhoods within the city.
The origins of the group predate its founding. The Survey of Ancient Houses was set up in 1970 and was succeeded by The Survey of Lincoln 25 years later. Under the auspices of the Survey of Ancient Houses, led by Professor Kathleen Major (1906-2000), a prominent historian of the medieval cathedral and diocese of Lincoln, and a long-time resident of uphill Lincoln, four volumes (or ‘fascicules’) explored the history of ancient houses in the Close and Bail.
A subsequent volume, Steep, Strait and High, was published in 2016 by the Lincoln Record Society and The Survey of Lincoln, that examined some of the ancient houses south of the Close and Bail, which was produced by Christopher Johnson and Stanley Jones.
Since 1995, The Survey of Lincoln has extended the remit of the original Survey group and has examined many important past and present buildings and structures within the city. Particular emphasis has been placed in The Survey’s neighbourhood-related volumes on the important industrial heritage of the city and on the homes and workplaces of the city’s employees and their families, together with sites of leisure and places of education and worship.
The Survey’s booklets include 12 which examine different neighbourhoods in the city, ranging from exploring uphill Lincoln to Monks Road, the city centre and the West End to Boultham and Birchwood to the south.
In each volume, chapters are produced by a variety of different authors exploring a wide time period, often from Roman times to the early 21st century. More recently, a thematic series has been begun, in which, amongst other subjects, the history of the city’s pubs and retailers have been placed under the magnifying class.
The Survey of Lincoln prides itself on the collaborative nature of its work which over the years has included contributions in its publications from, amongst others, archaeologists, architects, archivists, civil servants, engineers, historians, museum curators, planners, social scientists and teachers. It is always keen to recruit people interested in its work and perhaps prepared to contribute to later volumes.
The Survey of Lincoln has benefitted from support in recent years from the City of Lincoln Council, the Lincoln Record Society, the Lincolnshire Co-op, Bishop Grosseteste University and the University of Lincoln. The Survey of Lincoln’s books can be bought at the SLHA Bookshop, Jews’ Court, Steep Hill, and Lindum Books, Bailgate.
You can find out more about The Survey of Lincoln by visiting its website: www.thesurveyoflincoln.co.uk
