Ghosts and Legends of Lincoln Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral is a gothic 11th Century building that is Lincolnshire most famous landmark. In 2005 the interior was used in the filming of ‘The Da Vinci Code’; and doubled as Westminster Abbey.

High in the Angel Choir, the Lincoln Imp can be seen leering down from a pillar.
There are many legends about how he came to be, one of the best known concerns Remigius, a Benedictine monk who was appointed by William the Conqueror to oversee the largest diocese in the kingdom which extended from the River Thames northwards to the Humber. In 1072 the bishopric was moved from Dorchester in Oxfordshire to Lincoln and work began on a new cathedral. As the stone masons worked and chipped away at the oolite limestone blocks the work caught the evil eye of the Devil himself.
The holy building was erected on high ground and could be seen from miles around. This only served to anger the Devil and as the day of consecration approached the Devil gathered hordes of his imps to attack the site. The workers fled but brave Remigius held his ground and prayed to the Virgin Mary for deliverance. A mighty gale ensued and one of the imps were violently thrown back. One of the imps, possibly Satan himself, sought refuge in the cathedral and as he flew around this holy building his body turned to stone and has remained there ever since.

Another version is that in the 14th century the Devil sent forth two imps to cause mischief throughout England. At Lincoln cathedral they overturned pews and furniture, tripped up the bishop and headed for the Angel Choir. It was there that an Angel appeared who ordered them to stop. One ran away but the other decided to throw rocks at the Angel and was instantly turned to stone.

The Cloisters is the haunt of a procession of spectral, praying monks.

On the steps a monk like figure has been seen on the steps who turns and wander back through the door.

A ghostly horn sounding is thought to be the playing of Bishop Robert Bloet, the 2ND Bishop of the Cathedral.

In 1964 some children claimed to see a white mass, in the form of white lightening flash from the central tower to the ground.

In March 1976 a witness reported a human head rolling and bouncing down the hill from the cathedral.

Re-enactments of those who have thrown themselves from the cathedral spires and towers have been reported.

A 17TH century cleric been witnessed by three nurses walking up Greestone Stairs at the East End of the cathedral who vanished through a solid stone wall near the archway.

In the early 1990s at Greestone Place, a young woman sensed the atmosphere become cold and she observed a woman dressed in either a nurses or nuns clothing, holding what looked like a baby, float several inches off the ground. She drifted into Greestone Terrace and disappeared. It is possible that the ‘nurse’ may be linked to nearby Tithe Barn which had once been a hospital at one time.