quently
an earthquake shattered the cathedral, and in the thirteenth century it
was restored and extended by Bishop Hugh of Avelon, not being finished
until 1315. The massive central tower is supported on four grand piers
composed of twenty-four shafts, and here is hung the celebrated bell of
Lincoln, "Great Tom," which was recast about fifty years ago, and weighs
five and a half tons. The transepts have splendid rose windows,
retaining the original stained glass. Lincoln's shrine was that of St.
Hugh, and his choir is surmounted by remarkable vaulting, the eastern
end of the church being extended into the Angel Choir, a beautiful
specimen of Decorated Gothic, built in 1282 to accommodate the enormous
concourse of pilgrims attracted by St. Hugh's shrine, which stood in
this part of the building. In the cathedral is the tomb of Katherine
Swynford, wife of John of Gaunt. Adjoining the south-eastern transept
are the cloisters and chapter-house. The most ingenious piece of work of
the whole structure is the "stone beam," a bridge with a nearly flat
arch, extending between the two western towers over the nave, composed
of twenty-two stones, each eleven inches thick, and vibrating sensibly
when stepped upon. There is a grand view from the towers over the
neighboring country and far away down the Witham towards the sea. The
exterior of the cathedral is one of the finest specimens of architecture
in the kingdom, its porches, side-chapels, decorated doorways,
sculptured capitals, windows, cloisters, and towers admirably
illustrating every portion of the history of English architecture. Its
interior length is four hundred and eighty-two feet, the great transept
two hundred and fifty feet, and the lesser transept one hundred and
seventy feet. The western towers are one hundred and eighty feet high,
and the central tower two hundred and sixty feet, while the width of the
cathedral's noble western front is one hundred and seventy-four feet.
Upon the southern side of the hill, just below it, are the stately ruins
of the Bishop's Palace, of which the tower has recently been restored.
Bishop Hugh's ruined Great Hall is now overgrown with ivy, but the walls
can be climbed to disclose a glorious view of the cathedral.

The ancient Ermine Street of the Romans enters Lincoln through the best
preserved piece of Roman masonry in England, the Newport Gate of two
arches, where on either hand may be seen fragments of the old wall. Near
the sout