It is neither the best of times, nor is it the worst of
times, but Lincoln is, nonetheless, a Tale of Two Cities, (what the Dickens is he on about...?)
There's Uphill and there's Downhill, and in between there's Steep Hill which last year was named "Best Place in Britain" by the Academy of Urbanism. Back in the 1980s we ran Harveys Cathedral Restaurant in the square at the top of Steep Hill.
Most Lincolnites
tend to be somewhat diffident about that accolade "Best Place in Britain," but Lincoln is, nonetheless, a fine
city, and the increase in publicity over the past few years has taken Lincoln
out of a confusing mix of agricultural obscurity linked to an interesting line in heavy industry. The full story is that Fosters of Lincoln built the world's first military tank - and it was tank warfare that ultimately broke the stalemate of trench warfare in WW1.
Today, Lincoln has become an increasingly popular tourist location, and for those of us who knew it in the 80s and earlier, it's a shame..! It was in many ways more appealing for us as residents, when Lincoln was still a very well-kept secret.
There's Uphill and there's Downhill, and in between there's Steep Hill which last year was named "Best Place in Britain" by the Academy of Urbanism. Back in the 1980s we ran Harveys Cathedral Restaurant in the square at the top of Steep Hill.
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| Steep Hill - Our restaurant was just at the top, on the right, |
Today, Lincoln has become an increasingly popular tourist location, and for those of us who knew it in the 80s and earlier, it's a shame..! It was in many ways more appealing for us as residents, when Lincoln was still a very well-kept secret.
But, as I hinted, it is a divided town, split
schizophrenic-ally between the austere Cathedral Quarter (Uphill,) and the
bustling Commercial Quarter down on the other side of the railway tracks
(Downhill.) I live Uphill, in what might be called the Cathedral Ghetto.
My address may be Minster Yard but it's often referred to generically as a
Cathedral Close, and in many ways "Close" is the right word. It's a close, tight-knit, and rather private community: a self-imposed ghetto. According to the reference
works, a ghetto is a "section of a city inhabited primarily by people of
the same race, religion, or social background, often because of
discrimination."
Yup... that's Uphill Lincoln..!
When we opened the restaurant (Election Night, 3rd May 1979 - which was also the night my son Toby was born,) there were just a couple of eating places "Uphill." In those days, pubs were mostly places to drink, not places to eat, and folk didn't generally go out much at night. How different today! At least 20 or 30 eating places are within easy walking distance of my home, ranging from award-winning fish and chips to every kind of ethnic cuisine to half a dozen tea shops competing for the cream tea business. In the 80s, we used to drive all around the county, looking for places to dine on our night off from the restaurant, (booking our bills to "Competitive Analysis" and "Market Research!" )
Sadly, eating out is off the budgetary radar now, but that's not an issue when I see what's happened to the food shops. What a change in what's on offer!
Lincolnshire generates more fresh produce than any other county in England. In addition, Lincolnshire has faced up to the business opportunities created by the foodie boom.
There are regular, thriving Farmers' Markets, dairies that produce delicious artisan cheeses - including the renowned Lincolnshire Poacher, a hard cheese that's midway between Cheddar and Parmesan. The national supermarket chains have opened vast food halls, offering the ingredients for just about every cuisine. On the other hand there is still room for a branch of Patisserie Valerie on the High Street, as well as traditional craft butchers producing classic Lincolnshire Sausages, pork pies, Haslet and Stuffed Chine, as well as new offerings to meet the demands of an ever-growing gourmet market.
It's a very different scene from those early days of Harveys Restaurant, when my potato supplier took a curious look at the produce on the kitchen table and queried: "Is that what they call an adervercado?"
The Cathedral Quarter is a charming and picturesque place to live, but I needed the Commercial Quarter for markets and shops, so one of my first tasks was to find my way around. I already said this in my previous post, and all I've done here is waffle on about demographics and retail patterns. Apologies...back to basics....how do the buses work in Lincoln...?
 |
| Lincoln Cathedral dwarfs the surrounding buildings |
Yup... that's Uphill Lincoln..!
When we opened the restaurant (Election Night, 3rd May 1979 - which was also the night my son Toby was born,) there were just a couple of eating places "Uphill." In those days, pubs were mostly places to drink, not places to eat, and folk didn't generally go out much at night. How different today! At least 20 or 30 eating places are within easy walking distance of my home, ranging from award-winning fish and chips to every kind of ethnic cuisine to half a dozen tea shops competing for the cream tea business. In the 80s, we used to drive all around the county, looking for places to dine on our night off from the restaurant, (booking our bills to "Competitive Analysis" and "Market Research!" )
 |
| Every kind of vegetable in the market |
Lincolnshire generates more fresh produce than any other county in England. In addition, Lincolnshire has faced up to the business opportunities created by the foodie boom.
There are regular, thriving Farmers' Markets, dairies that produce delicious artisan cheeses - including the renowned Lincolnshire Poacher, a hard cheese that's midway between Cheddar and Parmesan. The national supermarket chains have opened vast food halls, offering the ingredients for just about every cuisine. On the other hand there is still room for a branch of Patisserie Valerie on the High Street, as well as traditional craft butchers producing classic Lincolnshire Sausages, pork pies, Haslet and Stuffed Chine, as well as new offerings to meet the demands of an ever-growing gourmet market.
It's a very different scene from those early days of Harveys Restaurant, when my potato supplier took a curious look at the produce on the kitchen table and queried: "Is that what they call an adervercado?"
The Cathedral Quarter is a charming and picturesque place to live, but I needed the Commercial Quarter for markets and shops, so one of my first tasks was to find my way around. I already said this in my previous post, and all I've done here is waffle on about demographics and retail patterns. Apologies...back to basics....how do the buses work in Lincoln...?
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