'Twas the deep forest bodied forth that fane,
So rose the arches of the old oak trees,
So wreath'd the close set branches at their side,
So through the open spaces gleam'd the sun;
While like an anthem sang the morning birds.
All nature teacheth worship unto man,
And the first instinct of the heart is faith.
Those carved aisles, so noble in their state,
So graceful in each exquisite device,
Are of the past; a rude and barbarous past,
And yet they rose to heaven. Though the red sword
Flash'd in the sun, and with unholy flash
Disturb'd the silver moonlight's quiet hour;
Yet even then men craved for peace and heaven.
Hence rose these glorious temples, where the Cross
Still sanctifies its merciful domain.
Author's Note: It is curious to observe how much the aspect of nature has in every country given its aspect to architecture. The colossal proportions of Indian scenery have not more given their likeness to the vast temples of the Hindoos, than our own northern forests have given their own character to the Gothic cathedral.
Lincoln Cathedral became the tallest building in the world when its spire was completed in 1311. Before that the Great Pyramid at Giza had been the tallest building on earth for more than 3,800 years.
The current building was begun in 1192, on the site of an earlier 12th century cathedral, itself the successor to the original church dedicated by Bishop Remigius in 1092. The style of the church is stupendous high gothic.
According to the great Victorian authority John Ruskin, the Cathedral of Lincoln was 'out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles’