Lincoln Cathedral’s hidden details reveal centuries of local stories

Lincoln Cathedral is one of the county’s best-known landmarks, dominating the skyline and drawing visitors from across Lincolnshire and beyond. Yet alongside its grand architecture and long history, the building also holds quieter, more curious stories that many local people may never have noticed. Among them is a small tennis ball lodged high on a wall, where it has remained since 1914. Over time it has weathered to almost the same colour as the surrounding stone, making it easy to miss unless you know exactly where to look.

According to cathedral tour guide Dorothy Moss, the tale behind it has become part of the building’s folklore. She explained that the story goes a boy called Gilbert Bell, the son of someone living in the minster, had been told he could go and play tennis but was not to hit the ball against the cathedral. The ball ended up stuck high on the wall and, more than a century later, it is still there. The story resurfaced in 2005 when Gilbert Bell’s nephew, David, contacted the cathedral to ask whether the ball could be returned.

Cathedral staff at the time were apparently unaware of it until the enquiry was made. It was suggested he could have it back when scaffolding next went up on that side of the building. The ball is believed to be one of the earliest surviving examples in the UK. The BBC report notes it predates the earliest proper tennis ball held by the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, which is dated to 1916.

Elsewhere on the cathedral, another hidden feature celebrates a much more recent chapter in Lincoln’s history. High on the wall is a stone carving made in the likeness of Stuart Boyfield, recognised as the cathedral’s longest-serving member of staff. He has worked on the site for 48 years, and the carving was created to mark 30 years in the job. The figure shows him with keys, a lantern and a tool basket, reflecting his role in building services.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Boyfield said he felt honoured to be part of the cathedral’s fabric, describing his years there as more than a job and more a way of life. Then there is one of the building’s more playful details - a small carved bat perched near Dean’s Eye, the striking rose window on the cathedral’s north side. Hanging above one of four arrow-slit windows, the creature appears to be peering mischievously inside. The cathedral’s foundations were laid in 1072, and its story has continued to grow ever since.

For many in Lincolnshire, these small features offer another way of seeing a familiar place. Beyond the towers, stonework and stained glass, Lincoln Cathedral remains full of overlooked details that connect the city’s past with the people who have lived and worked around it for generations.

This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.bbc.com.