In the beginning
Before the Romans came to Lincoln the first known settlement was around the Brayford Pool area. This is where the original name for Lincoln which was Lindon came from, 'Lin' meaning pool and 'don' meaning at the foot of the hill. In 1972 archaeologists found traces of wooden houses that dated back to the first century BC. In 48 AD the Romans conquered Lincolnshire. Shortly after this they built a fort on the site of Lincoln. However by the last first century the area was pacified, so the soldiers moved on and the fort was abandoned. A colonia, which was a site for retired soldiers, was built.
Lindom grew into a large and prosperous town and reached the peak of prosperity in the early 4th century AD. It is estimated that the population of the area was between four and six thousand. Lindom was also an inland port. The Romans deepened the Witham so ships could reach the town from the sea. They also dug the Fossdyke so that they could link the Witham with the River Trent.
The Romans left Britain in the early 5th century; the importance of the port in Lincoln remained. The medieval city of Lincoln was built on the wealth, which came mostly from wool that was traded up and down the River Witham and across the Brayford Pool. The walls of the medieval city were extended to the Brayford, where they stopped at Lucy Tower, which today is remembered as Lucy Tower Street. In 1972 when the multi story car park was built next to the Brayford, the remains of the tower were uncovered and recorded.
The Brayford's industrial past
Although Lincoln boasted the fourth busiest waterfront in the country in the mid 13th century gradual decline and, finally, demise of the wool trade led to Daniel Defoe in 1720 to describe Lincoln as,
"an old, dying, decay'd dirty city... it is scarce tolerable to call a city".
In 1744 fortunes changed, the Foss Dyke was dredged and reopened and a new era for the Brayford began. The Brayford Pool was lined with warehouses, mills, granaries and maltings, sailing barges and later steam packet brought goods to and from Lincoln. The 18th and 19th century were trading heydays for the Brayford Pool, when it was an important inland port. By 1817 the gardens of the north and the east banks had been replaced by industries served by huge sailing barges. The Brayford's banks were lined with wharves, warehouses, flour and silk mills, granaries and breweries ad maltings. Other businesses included water transport depots, boat builders and coal and timber yards.
In the 1846 the beginning of the end for Lincoln's lucrative cargoes was signalled by the forming of the Great Northern Railway Company.
