To see Roman artefacts in Lincoln, there are two main locations - the City and County Museum, and the Usher Gallery. The City and County has a large and important Roman collection, which due to the redesigning of a new museum, is mostly in storage. Some elements of the collection are on display at the Greyfriars centre, in Broadgate, details of which are below. The Usher Gallery has a large coin display, which includes Roman examples, and if you want to get into the feel of Roman art, there are some impressive Neo-clasical sculptures upstairs.

Greyfriars Exhibition Centre
Broadgate
Lincoln
LN2 5AL
Opening Times: Wed - Sat 10am - 1pm and 2pm - 4pm
Tel: 01522 530401

Usher Gallery
Lindum Road
Lincoln
LN2 1NN
Opening Times: Mon - Sat 10am - 5.30pm, Sun 2.30pm - 5pm
Tel: 01522 527980

To see the physical remains of Lincoln, the easiest way is through a tour. Probably the easiest place to begin a tour is at the East gate, located just north of the Cathedral (which you should always find time to look around first!). The Eastgate may have been the main entrance to the upper city, and as such had a double archway. The excavated remains show one of the towers, the other being buried under the lawns where the Tennyson statue now stands (although not right under the statue itself). Walk up East Bight, a winding medieval street, until you reach a section of the Colonia tower and wall in someones back garden to your right. Attached to this is the remains of a water tower, where the water brought into Lincoln by the aquaduct was stored. The site of the bath house is just behind you as you stand facing the tower. Follow East Bight to its end and the next step on the tour should be obvious. Newport Arch is the only Roman gateway in Britain still to be used by traffic, which can be a problem for tourists who may wish to examine the Arch more closely than they can. Beside the Arch can be seen the base of one of the towers, as at Eastgate. If you have time, walk through the Arch into Newport and walk a hundred yards or so to Cecil Street. Turn left, go down, and then left again into the courtyard. Facing you is another section of wall, this one slightly larger than the East Bight remains. Otherwise, take Chapel Lane (the road opposite East Bight) and then turn left into West Bight. As the road opens out, you will see a large piece of wall, about 20' (5m) high in front of you, with an interpretation board. This is the Mint Wall, the north wall of the basilica, the main administrative building of the Colonia and one of the largest pieces of freestanding Roman masonry in the country. Keep on going and turn left on to the site of St Paul in the Bail, marked out in the shape of a simple church. This site is of massive importance, as it is the site of the Roman forum, but also a very early Christian church (7th century at the latest). Next to the site is the Roman well which supplied public drinking water. Go out onto Bailgate (where the Lion and Snake pub is) and you can see the marks in the road that indicate where the columns supporting the front of the forum complex once where. In the basement of a house just to the left, the bases of three of the columns still stand. A plaque above the door marks the house, but the remains are unfortunately not accessible. Follow Bailgate south towards the cathedral and keep going down Steep Hill until you reach a strip of stone on the right hand side, just by Imperial Teas. This is the location of the south gate to the upper city. You will need to venture to the southern end of the lower city to see more visible remains. If you only have a limited time, or can't manage it, it may be advisable to stop here. If you decide to carry on, go down to where the hill branches out, and turn right up Wordsworth Street, which merges with Drury Lane. Go along here until you reach the give way lines and the road to the left pitches sharply downhill. Follow the road to the left, but walk on the right hand pavement. Take the first turning right, but beware! It is pedestrian only and is easy to miss. When you're on the right hill you'll know as it angles sharply to the left and has old fashioned metal bollards running down the middle. This is Motherby Hill, which is rather steep, and as you walk down it you are on top of the Roman wall, with the defensive ditch to your right. At the bottom, go straight on towards City Hall and approach the building on the left. The remains of the lower west gate can be seen under City Hall, part of which has been built on stilts to protect it. A re-used section of carved decoration can be seen at the bottom of the gate (the gate dates to the 4th century). This is only a copy - the real piece is on public display within the City Hall foyer. When you've seen this gate, go up the steep flight of steps in front of you (there's an information board on this side) and head through the car park. Turn right at the road (Beaumont Fee). When you reach the major junction, turn left onto Guildhall Street. At the junction of Guildhall Street and High Street you'll find the Stonebow. Although this gate is one of the medieval gates, it is on the site of the Roman south gate to the lower Colonia. The reason they ended here is because at that time the water went right up to the walls. If you continue across, you'll reach the Royal Bank of Scotland. Underneath the Bank vaults is another well preserved gate, the postern gate. Unfortunately, for security reasons, it is only opened by appointment. Keep walking until you reach Broadgate (the dual carriageway), with a church on your left. Turn left and begin walking uphill. On your left you'll pass the Greyfriars building. As well as being a beautiful and important medieval building, it is the temporary home of the City and County Museum (a new one is due to open in 2004 on a site just to the north). The temporary exhibitions here are the only way to view the superb collections at the moment, but the themed exhibitions are usually well worth visiting. Keep on going up the hill, until you reach Greestone Stairs (signposted Cathedral and Bishop's Palace). Walk up here (something which is not recommended at night if you've been on the ghost walk) to get back to the south side of the Cathedral.

Congratulations - you've seen Roman Lincoln!