Lincolnshire’s stars shine in England’s Hall of Fame
Lincoln’s Magna Carta and Lincolnshire’s Woolsthorpe Manor each take a place in England’s ultimate Hall of Fame to go on display in a one-off exhibition to mark St. George’s Day tomorrow, 23rd April.
Lincoln’s original 1215 Magna Carta document along with the Lincolnshire home of Sir Isaac Newton have been revealed as part of England’s Hall of Fame to celebrate St. George’s Day. The hotly anticipated Hall of Fame exhibition opens to the public on the 23rd April and will run for one week until 30th April. This free open-air exhibition will take place at Observation Point on London’s Southbank.
The search to establish England’s Hall of Fame began in February when the tourist board, Visit England, asked the public to submit their suggestions. The Hall of Fame app received almost 1,000 submissions from Harry Potter to Harry Styles, the mini skirt to the tuxedo, The Beatles to punk music, and Earl Grey tea to the Scotch Egg. A panel of experts has awarded a bronze, silver and gold across six categories, to celebrate the best of what England has brought to the world and what makes the country such a diverse and fascinating place to visit and explore. The public has also been given a vote; The People’s Choice will be revealed on St George’s Day.
In the History & Heritage category the Bronze award went to the four surviving Magna Carta parchments, which were sealed in 1215 and regarded by historians as the foundation of constitutional liberty in the English-speaking world – one of which belongs to Lincoln Cathedral.
Next year Lincoln’s document will have an even higher profile, when it takes up its new home in state-of-the-art Magna Carta Vault, one of the highlights of the £22m Lincoln Castle Revealed refurbishment project at the Norman castle, which opens its doors to fully reveal the new-look, world-class visitor attraction in April 2015.
While its new home is completed at Lincoln Castle – which has stayed open throughout the refurbishment work that will also create new walk walks, improved visitor access to its Victorian prison, new café and shop – Lincoln’s Magna Carta will be touring the USA this year before returning to Lincoln Castle in time to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta throughout 2015.
Lincolnshire is also celebrating another winning placement in England’s Hall of Fame. Woolsthorpe Manor, near Grantham, was awarded silver in the Inventions & Discoveries category. Sir Isaac Newton’s family home is where the English physicist and mathematician first discovered his theory of gravity.
The History and Heritage category of England’s ultimate Hall of Fame consists of:
Bronze – The four surviving original copies of Magna Carta, sealed in 1215 at Runnymede, Surrey, and regarded by historians as the foundation of constitutional liberty in the English-speaking world
Silver – The smooth lawns and sweeping vistas of England’s landscaping master, Capability Brown, as seen at Northumberland’s Kirkharle Lake and Courtyard
Gold – Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, the world’s oldest industrial complex and a crucial part of England’s naval heritage
The Inventions and Discoveries category consists of:
Bronze – England as the birthplace of the steam locomotive, whose steam train attractions can be found chugging merrily around the country. A working replica of the world’s first operational steam locomotive can be seen in action at Blists Hill Victorian Town in Ironbridge, Shropshire, whilst Birmingham’s Thinktank Science Museum is worth visiting for its exciting demonstrations of the steam engine’s power.
Silver – Sir Isaac Newton’s family home at Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, where the English physicist and mathematician first discovered his theory of gravity
Gold – Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s engineering masterpieces in Bristol, including the magnificent Clifton Suspension Bridge and SS Great Britain passenger steamship
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