Extent of cathedral graffiti revealed

Experts have discovered thousands of graffiti markings inside Lincoln Cathedral.

Drawings of ships, people, a shoe, board games and musical notes dating back to the 14th Century have been found etched into the walls.

Volunteers discovered more than 3,000 markings in 2018. A recent survey has revealed nearly 6,000 additional marks in the Grade I listed building.

Brian Porter, Lincoln Cathedral graffiti project leader, said: "It opens a whole new area of history that they were not aware of."

Mr Porter and a dozen volunteers began looking for etchings in 2018 and discovered thousands of markings in the Gothic style cathedral.

From ancient tombs to stone pillars, few areas of the holy building remain unmarked by graffiti, Mr Porter said.

"It's not been commissioned. It's not like formal art. It's informal. A person expressing themselves," he added.

Mr Porter said the marks include symbols linked to Christianity and folklore as well as names, initials and dates.

The volunteers have used the inscriptions to piece together the identities of some of the graffiti artists.

"We know the names of several people. We've found out who they are and what they did. It brings the story of a human being from the past to life," Mr Porter said.

He said the search for graffiti was not limited to cathedrals, and also included castles and houses.

"Up and down the country, we're now finding places full of it," he said.

"In the 1960s, it was very rare to investigate this. Now, it's a popular habit and people are very excited to link their own history to the past."

Mr Porter said his team had found more than 8,600 markings on the ground floor of the cathedral and expected to find many more.

"We still haven't completed recording the ground floor area. There'll be a lot more than that when we've finished," Mr Porter said.

"Some people still see graffiti as being anti-establishment. That's fine. It allows the ordinary person to moan about something if they wish. It also tells you a lot about aspects of human nature," he added.

Guided tours of the cathedral's graffiti will be held on Mondays at 10:30 GMT, moving to 14:00 on Thursdays in the new year.

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