Psalm 119: 105

There has been a palace on this site for not much short of 1,000 years. From here the medieval bishops ran the huge Diocese of Lincoln, which at that time stretched from the Humber to the Thames and from Cambridgeshire to the edge of the West Midlands. Medieval buildings and romantic ruins are still in evidence and surround one side of our front courtyard and the eastern boundary of our garden. The ruins of the Medieval Bishop Palace are managed by English Heritage.

The building that you see today was built on medieval foundations in three phases. The earliest visible part is a roughly square area built in 1720 forming the South West corner of the palace, at the centre of which is a classical Georgian panelled staircase. Ten years later a low range of panelled rooms was added, running north towards the Cathedral and the building then remained unchanged for a centenary and a half until 1885.

In that year Edward King was appointed Bishop of Lincoln and decided to move the Episcopal seat back into the centre of Lincoln. He chose the site of the Medieval Palace and set about expanding and remodelling the Georgian building into his new residence. The exterior of much of the building, including the entrance and most of the garden elevations, date from that time.

In 1948 the Bishop of Lincoln moved to a smaller house on the north side of the Cathedral and the palace went through a number of different phases over successive decades.

In 2007 a major refurbishment was undertaken, the aim of which was to restore the building in sympathy with its various period interiors, whilst creating a comfortable and elegant environment. Finally, in July 2009, The Old Palace opened its doors once again, offering sophisticated conference, dining and reception facilities with luxurious accommodation.

In 2011 it was decided to extend the services offered and open The Old Palace as a hotel. The adjacent redundant church St. Michael on the Mount was bought to create 16 additional bedrooms for The Old Palace Hotel. The hotel opened in March 2012 with 16 bedrooms in the main house. Only four months later, the new bedrooms in the former church, now called The Old Palace Lodge, were finished, increasing the number of bedrooms at The Old Palace to 32 comfortable classic rooms, master rooms and suites.

• The Old Palace Heritage

For the second day running breakfast was not being served in the Garden room but in the same room as the previous day. The experience was a lot less chaotic but when my scrambled eggs turned up they were rather overcooked. After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and put our cases in the car before visiting The Medieval Bishops’ palace that is situated next to The Old Palace Hotel.

As we got in the car to leave Lincoln the Cathedral bell struck the hour of 11 O’Clock reminding me that I would miss hearing them sound. We intended to visit a Civil War exhibition in Newark but we arrived to find the museum was not complete and didn’t open until May. So instead we headed off to Kedleston Hall for lunch and a tour of the house. After this we continued on our journey home, stopping at Tesco on the way to pick up something for an evening meal. When I got home I was reminded that I had forgotten to take a picture of the Easter Cross outside the parish church so I grabbed my camera to rectify the situation.

Before the alarm went off I awoke to the feeling of a warm presence holding my hands and squeezing them… Soon afterwards the pleasant sound of the Cathedral bells resumed chiming the hours and quarters after being silent overnight.

Breakfast was in the Garden room, although we didn’t see much of the garden due to our table being too far away from the window. The breakfast menu was extensive and all hot food was cooked to order. After breakfast, we made our way to the castle area which is near the Cathedral. The castle has just opened a new purpose built display for its copy of the Magna Carta and this is where we headed first. Displayed with the Magna Carta is the only known copy of the Charter of the Forest. Issued by Henry III, this new document extended several clauses of the Magna Carta and specified greater freedoms in relation to forest laws and the royal hunting forests.

After viewing the Magna Carta, we visited the Old Prison and the prison chapel which are in the grounds of Lincoln Castle. Some of the cells told tales and anecdotes of former prisioners. After the confined conditions of the former prison we ascended to the recently restored castle wall walk to take in the views over Lincoln.

We decided to return to the more peaceful Cathedral. We walked around the outside of the Cathedral and got an impression of it from all angles before taking lunch in the Cathedral refectory. Inside the Cathedral, we took time to explore and to visit the Cathedral shop. Afterwards we walked down the Steep Hill to visit the art gallery and Museum of Archaeology. Both places were interesting and well worth the visit.

Rather than retrace our steps up Steep Hill we wandered through Temple Gardens making our way back to our hotel in order to relax before dining in The Old Bakery restaurant. After dinner and because we enjoyed it the previous night, we returned to the Wig & Mitre for a nightcap before retiring to the hotel for the evening.

We set off on our journey on time and the traffic was mostly kind to us. As usual when it was time for lunch there was a dearth of places to stop off for lunch. We eventually came across a farm shop just outside Lincoln where they had a nice selection of sandwiches. After lunch we made our way into Lincoln and headed for our hotel (The Old Palace). There was a last minute bit of confusion and no sign post highlighting the whereabouts of the hotel. We eventually found the hotel tucked away through an archway. Luckily the room had just become available when we arrived. This meant we were able to check in and take our cases up to the luxurious room with window seats and a view of Lincoln Cathedral.

As we were leaving the hotel in order to explore Lincoln a member of the hotel staff said hello to us as we were trying to find the exit.  He told us about the garden room where breakfast is served and also about St Hugh’s Chapel which is attached to the hotel. The chapel was built in the Victorian era as a private place of worship for the Bishop of Lincoln. The hotel itself was formerly Bishops palace and part of the building is still in use (as offices) by the current Bishop.

As we set off the weather took a turn for the worse and it started to drizzle with rain which lasted for the rest of the day. This had the effect of making the stone on the Cathedral look rather drab and grey and the turrets were partially hidden in mist. We walked around the castle area and browsed in a couple of bookshops before visiting a tea shop for afternoon tea. I was tempted to have a slice of Lemon Easter Cake which was topped with chocolate mini eggs. The waitress service was a bit chaotic but the cake was delicious Afterwards we made our way back towards the hotel to freshen up before dinner. Along the way we stopped off to visit the Cathedral in between the Good Friday services. On entering the Cathedral I was struck by its immense size!

We dined in The White Hart Hotel and by the time we had finished our meal it had stopped raining so I didn’t need my umbrella as we walked to a nearby pub for a nightcap before returning to the hotel for the evening.