Every now and then I drag my carcass off the sofa and go shoot stuff like a tourist. Today I decided to visit Lincoln Castle which just so happens to have an early Victorian prison located within. After nearly choking on my own vomit after paying the entrance fee, I got my money's worth and this post is the result!
Lincoln Prison was used as a processing centre for men, women and children as young as eight years old. Prisoners accused of committing crimes in Lincolnshire were held here until their trials took place at the Lincoln Castle Assizes. Assizes is an old term for court.
Prisoners tried and convicted were held in the prison and remained here until they were taken elsewhere to serve their sentences. Including transportation to Australia!
There was a third kind of prisoner held in the prison. Debtors, both male and female, held under more lenient conditions although probably harsh nonetheless!
The Male Wing
The prisoners were segregated by sex and unsurprisingly the male wing was considerably larger.
Vanishing Point Perspective
I love a good vanishing point perspective shot. Notice the retrofit radiators on the walls; I doubt they were present when the prison was in use.
Arrival
On arrival at the prison, new prisoners were searched and made to bathe if dirty. Convicts were given prison uniforms whilst those awaiting trail wore their own clothes. Some prisoners in rags were issued with different colour uniforms.
Before photography was invented, the prisoners were documented and indentified in the prison registers by physical appearance, height, hairstyle, colour, scars and tattoos.
There were the hammocks in one small cell.
Segregation of the Congregation
Lincoln Prison was one of the first gaols to segregate the prison population. It wasn't a racist thing; it was purely to segregate prisoners so that the more hardened criminals couldn't intimidate, influence or harm younger prisoners. Here the chapel was laid out for prayers where each prisoner was caged somewhat like an animal.
Notice the mannequins in each "cell" and in particular the small child in one of the pens. Tragic!
Entrance to the Lucy Tower
I remember a phrase, "abandon hope all ye who enter here." That's exactly what would happen if a condemned soul entered the Lucy Tower where they would be hanged and interred. Some of the gravestones are still present inside the tower:
The Magna Carta Vault
I was told in no uncertain terms that photography of the Magna Carta wasn’t allowed. I settled for this shot of the entrance to a newly built bespoke vault.
I wandered in with my lens cap on and camera switched off. As soon as the curator saw my camera, I was reminded again, no photography. But he did very kindly give me 10 minutes of his time whilst he explained the Magna Carta.
Written in 1215 AD, this Magna Carta is one of only four remaining. Originally 13 copies of the Magna Carta were made by 13 scribes, presumably monks. Each copy was written in Runnymede in the presence of King John and distributed by the bishops to all corners of England, Wales and Ireland (Hibernia).
The thing I found most surprising was the Magna Carta was simply a document on a sheet of velum with very (and I mean very!) small text. I was expecting a large old tome, but no, it was a single page of writing albeit quite an important one!
Heading to the Tower
Quite possibly one of the highest points in Lincolnshire, is the observation tower on the castle walls. I love a good leading line photo and it's amazing I got this due to the immense amount of stairs needed to climb up to the top!
Lincoln Cathedral Panorama
Once at the top of the scarily high observation tower, I shot a few pano images. Up here isn't for the feint of heart or anyone scared of heights!
Camera phones are getting crazy good at panoramic photography. I used an iPhone 12 Pro Max here but I also tried a hand held Sony A7iii with a sharp Sony 20mm lens. Whilst the Sony was a better image, I preferred the phone shot! Damn....
One thing they don't tell you with a camera phone is that you can create vertical panoramas:
About me:
I usually specialise in shooting lightpainting images but occasionally dabble in urbex and artistic model photography. I'm always on the lookout for someone to collaborate with; please don't hesitate to get in touch if you'd like to create art.
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