Steep Hill is a popular tourist street in the historic city of Lincoln

Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....

, Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.
At the top of the hill is the entrance to Lincoln Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...

 and at the bottom is Well Lane.
The Hill consists of independent shops, tea rooms and pubs.

In 2011, Steep Hill was named Britain's Best Place by the Academy of Urbanism.

Derivation

Its name arises from the gradient of the hill, which is difficult to ascend and descend. There is a handrail, which is needed by most people. It is not advisable to push a wheelchair

Wheelchair

A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...

 up this hill.

Route

The bottom leads to The Strait. Three-quarters of the way up is the junction with Wordsworth Street, on which is the Chad Varah House, the home of the Departments of Conservation & Restoration and History of Art & Design of the University of Lincoln

University of Lincoln

The University of Lincoln is an English university founded in 1992, with origins tracing back to the foundation and association with the Hull School of Art 1861....

. From this junction, the road narrows at this point and leads past the Wig & Mitre pub and Brown's Pie Shop and to Castle Hill to the left and Exchequergate to the right.

The central (and steepest) part of the route is unsuited to any form of vehicle, and only passable on foot. A handrail is provided along this section.

The route is part of the Roman

Roman roads in Britain

Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...

 route from the ford over the River Witham

River Witham

The River Witham is a river, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham, at SK8818, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh...

 to the Forum in modern Bailgate, and thus the final part of Ermine Street and Iter VI of the Antonine Itinerary

Antonine Itinerary

The Antonine Itinerary is a register of the stations and distances along the various roads of the Roman empire, containing directions how to get from one Roman settlement to another...

.

Architecture

Two Norman

Norman architecture

About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...

 houses lie on the street, Jew's House

Jew's House

The Jew's House is one of the earliest extant town houses in England. It lies on Steep Hill in Lincoln, immediately below Jew's Court.Dating from the mid-twelfth century, the building originally consisted of a hall at first floor level, measuring approximately 12 by 6 metres, above service and...

 and Norman House

Norman House

Norman House on Steep Hill, Lincoln in England is a historic building and an example of Norman domestic arthitecture. The building is at 46-47 Steep Hill and 7 Christs Hospital Terrace...

, the latter formerly known as "Aaron the Jew's House". Both display characteristic Norman mullioned

Mullion

A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...

 windows. Adjacent to and above the Jew's House stands Jew's Court

Jew's Court

Jews' Court is the Oldest synagogue in the British Isles. A Norman building on Steep Hill in Lincoln, immediately above Jew's House, it is dated to between 1150 and 1180...

, said to be from the Norman period but not displaying any obvious Norman features. There are some jettied

Jettying

Jettying is a building technique used in medieval timber frame buildings in which an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of the floor below. This has the advantage of increasing the available space in the building without obstructing the street...

 half-timbered

Timber framing

Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...

houses towards the top.

External links

• BBC Lincolnshire