> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ✨ Treasure Hoard: The walls of James Street, Lincoln - URL: https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/treasure-hoard-the-walls-of-james-street-lincoln/ - Published: 2026-08-31T12:48:13.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-31T12:48:13.000Z - Description: The walls are not mute. They tell me of the people that first came here, they impart the clay that lies beneath, they teach me of the geology of this place and reflect the pattern of nature. - Author: Andy Marshall - Tags: Treasure, lincoln, lincolnshire, james street lincoln, #treasure-18 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/07/FbFE5WPXkAMH_O4-2.jpeg) The walls are topped by slate and pantile. Pantiles are my favourite roofing material. Their form is a kind of sculptural onomatopoeia: egressing along the rivuleted tiles run the rivulets of rain. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/revue/items/images/014/207/230/original/img_9881.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/revue/items/images/014/207/262/original/img_9886.jpg) The walls are not mute. They tell me of the people that first came here, they impart the clay that lies beneath, they teach me of the geology of this place and reflect the pattern of nature. They consummate boundaries that are possibly two thousand years old, and protect plots of land that were once tilled by Romans: the soil here is rich with their detritus. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/revue/items/images/014/207/269/original/img_9891.jpg) Their form is a kind of sculptural onomatopoeia. In Kassel, Germany there is a brass rod that presents itself on the surface as a disc that's 5.1cm in diameter. The rod extends into the earth by one kilometre and I've heard that standing on the spot induces a peculiar sense of objectivity and a wider perception of your place in this world. These walls are just like that. This street, James Street, was once called Vinegar Lane - which in turn was thought to be a corruption of Vineyard Lane - indicating the existence of early vineyards in the area. Time-lapse these boundaries back to their origins and they might shrink in size, then morph from oolitic limestone and brick into staves of ash, and then, into a gravelled ditch skirting the edge of a vineyard that flows like the pantiles. These walls echo the bounds of centuries of activity - they are rooted back in time like the Vertical Earth Kilometre. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/revue/items/images/014/207/293/original/img_9887.jpg) These days we are told that it’s best to be in the moment, to be present. For me, places like this justify, affirm and underpin the small brass circle of the here and now. They add a sense of rootedness and continuity; a relieving shift from our ‘just in time’ world, one that offers a relationship with the present that’s nourished by the past. I’m reminded of [David Whyte’s words](https://davidwhyte.substack.com/p/winter-grief): "*Let the rest in this rested place rest for you.*" This place, decanted through human occupation, has resolved itself. It is its rested state that is so potent. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/revue/items/images/014/207/296/original/img_9894.jpg) James street, shadowed by Lincoln Cathedral --- Andy Marshall’s Treasure Hoard Gazetteer ## Small wonders. *Hidden in plain sight.* My personal collection of material treasures: a growing map of wonders gathered over more than forty years of photographing and documenting Britain — ancient yews, ghost angels, carved ships, Roman stonework and details that reward a closer look. [ Enter the Treasure Hoard → ](https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/treasure-hoard-gazetteer/) A little magic, delivered weekly. Email address Join the weekly journey – it’s free ↗ Joining… Free. Every Friday. Unsubscribe anytime. Nearly there. Check your inbox to complete your subscription. Andy Marshall’s Genius Loci Digest ## Come with me. See Britain differently. Every Friday, receive a fresh Digest from the road — photography, place-writing and overlooked stories held in Britain’s buildings and landscapes. ↗ Share Pass this page on Send it to someone who might see a familiar place differently. Share this page→ [ ↗ Support Can you help make the next journey possible? Become a member and sustain independent photography and place-writing. Support the journey → ](https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/#/portal/) Explore the archive ## Find another way in. The Genius Loci Digest can be explored through a series of themed lenses — different routes through photographs, journeys, places and ideas. [ Explore the lenses → ](https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/through-the-lens/) Connect with me on: [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/fotofacade.bsky.social?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/fotofacade/?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Fotofacade/) / [X](https://x.com/fotofacade?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fotofacade?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotofacade/?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/fotofacade?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.social/fotofacade?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Pinterest](https://uk.pinterest.com/fotofacade/?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) #