Roman Lincoln

Visitors to Lincoln, travelling from the south, cannot help being impressed by the magnificent setting of its cathedral, set high on the limestone escarpment that runs from south to north through the length of the county and is divided at Lincoln by the east-west flow of the river Witham.

The Romans, too, in their advance northwards were impressed by the strategic possibilities of the site, which early in the occupation became a legionary fortress, a key-point in a frontier zone established across the country from the river Severn to the Trent, serviced by the Fosse Way.

A little later, the same site at Lincoln was used by the Romans for the foundation of a colonia, or official settlement for veteran soldiers, others in this country being at Colchester, Gloucester and York. Lindum Colonia flourished and expanded down the hill-side of the limestone escarpment to the River Witham and on the level ground south of the river.