Timeline of events throughout Lincoln’s history:

48 AD

Lincolnshire is conquered by invading Romans. They build a fort on the hill overlooking Brayford Pool, where previously there had been an iron-age settlement. The Celtic name Lindon is tweaked to the Latin version of Lindum.

120 AD

The now-settled Romans build the Fossdyke canal connecting Lincoln with the River Trent, opening up new possibilities for trade and expansion.

Fossdyke Canal Lincoln

500 AD

By this time the Roman era has ended and the town is in decline, its population depleted. North Sea Germanic tribes begin to settle across Lincolnshire.

886 AD

Danelaw is established in England, and soon Lincoln becomes one of the Five boroughs of the East Midlands. As the Danes settle and rebuild Lincoln, its economy explodes.

1068 AD

William the Conqueror arrives in Lincoln two years after the Battle of Hastings, and – recognising the strategic value of the location – orders a castle to be built on top of the hill.

1092 AD

The construction of the first Lincoln Cathedral is completed.

Cow Paddle Cathedral view Lincoln

1130 AD

A guild is established to produce Lincoln Cloth as the city’s economy flourishes, centred largely around wool production.

1141 AD

A guild is established to produce Lincoln Cloth as the city’s economy flourishes, centred largely around wool production.

1215 AD

The Magna Carta is signed and sealed by King John, and a copy is brought back to Lincoln by the Bishop of Lincoln.

1255 AD

In the case of the ‘Libel of Lincoln’, 18 Jews are dubiously accused of the murder of a young Christian boy in Lincoln. They are taken away and hanged at the Tower of London.

Jews Court Lincoln

1290 AD

Eleanor of Castile dies in Harby on her way to Lincoln. Her vital organs are buried in Lincoln Cathedral, and a series of crosses to commemorate her are erected between Lincoln and London on the order of her husband, King Edward I, otherwise known as Longshanks. In the same year, the entire Jewish population is expelled from England.

1311 AD

The spire on Lincoln Cathedral is completed, and it surpasses the Great Pyramid of Giza to become the tallest man-made structure in the world.

1349 AD

The Black Death ravages Lincoln, leaving half of the city’s population dead in the space of four years.

1520 AD

Construction of the Guildhall and Stonebow is completed and becomes the meeting place of Lincoln City Council.

Guildhall and Stonebow Lincoln

1549 AD

The main spire of Lincoln Cathedral collapses in a storm, and so the building is no longer the world’s tallest. No structure surpasses its previous height until Ulm Minster is completed in 1890.

1642-51 AD

As the English Civil War grips the country, Lincoln finds itself on the cusp of Royalist and Parliamentary battle lines, and is occupied by both forces at various times. The city suffers lasting structural damage, bringing on an era of economic decline.

1744 AD

The Fossdyke canal reopens after being deepened, allowing industrial materials to be transported. Lincoln begins to thrive again with the onset of the Agricultural Revolution.

1848 AD

Lincoln Central railway station opens, following the opening of Lincoln St Mark’s railway station two years earlier. Also at this time, the Corn Exchange is built in the city centre.

1869 AD

The first Lincolnshire Show is held by the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society with a team of just 13 voluntary stewards.

1884 AD

Lincoln City Football Club is established and plays its first match, defeating Sleaford 9–1.

Sincil Bank Stadium Lincoln

1904-05 AD

Tragedy strikes Lincoln when the city is engulfed by a typhoid epidemic caused by polluted drinking water, claiming over 100 lives.

1915-16 AD

The first prototype tank is developed by William Tritton and Walter Wilson in a hotel room in Lincoln. ‘Little Willie’ is tested on a site now occupied by Tritton Road.

1959 AD

The Lincolnshire show is held at the Lincolnshire Showground for the first time – with the entrance price doubling to 10 shillings.

1982 AD

Lincoln Christmas Market is held for the first time with just 11 stalls, and is the first Christmas market to be held in the UK. A group of Lincoln councillors brought the concept back to the city from Germany after visiting its twin town, Neustadt.

Lincoln Christmas Market in the castle grounds

1996 AD

Queen Elizabeth comes to the city to officially open the University of Lincoln, then called the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside. The expanding university ushers in a new era of development and diversification for the city.

2009 AD

The first direct train line between Lincoln and London is opening, signalling the city’s continued growth as a place to visit, study and live.