‘We found an imp in our bathroom!’ Historic find for Lincoln couple

How many times in your life have you found an interesting item during a clean of your house?

As fascinating as they might have been, it is surely not as amazing as the discovery this couple has made at their home in the shadow of Lincoln Cathedral.

It was a fairly typical Sunday for Tracy and Rory Vorster, as they set about plans to tidy their house on Vicar’s Court in Lincoln.

Rory went to clean the bathroom, and was shocked by his eagle-eyed discovery.

A trap-door styled opening could be seen above the toilet, on the ledge before the bathroom window.

A houseplant was resting atop it, so he moved that out the way and lifted the trap door, revealing potentially centuries of history beneath it.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Rory said with a smile on his face. “I shouted up to my wife and said ‘I’ve found a thing!'”

Situated within their bathroom was a large slab of stone with what looks to be the head of a Lincoln Imp at the top, and a hole below the head.

Initial confusion began as the couple scrambled to find out what it might be. Tracy and Rory estimated it could be a form of drainage system used centuries ago, or maybe even a urinal as men were the only ones to live in these houses in times of old.

Their initial analysis proved to be correct.

According to a survey from the Civic Trust, it is thought to be an “elaborate drain” from the mid-to-late 14th century.

Lincoln Cathedral was built in the late 11th century, while the Medieval Bishop’s Palace was constructed in the 12th century, meaning this relic dates a couple of hundred years later than the palace next door to Tracy and Rory’s home.

Tracy posted the discovery onto social media, looking for definitive answers via a history group, and amassed thousands of comments of interest as many seemed as fascinated by the find as she and her husband were.

Carved within the stone is a “grotesque mask which forms the drain,” a fact recorded within the Survey of Ancient Houses in Lincoln vol II: Houses to the South and West of the Minster (Jones, S., Major, K. and Varley, J., 1987, pp60).

For the Vorsters, though, this is just another example of why Lincoln is such an amazing place to live, and why they are so proud of the historical significance of a home like theirs.

They have only lived on Vicar’s Court, most recently, for the last couple of months, having first left the historic street to move to Bracebridge Heath.

They returned to Lincoln soon, after missing the vibrancy of the city, as well as the heritage of it, which they have now got closer to than they ever could have imagined.

“I mean, you look at the outside of the house and that is historical enough,” Tracy said. “So to now find something inside is amazing.”

Rory said: “The whole of the house has kind of a hollow walling, so we immediately thought there could be more, in fact we’re almost certain now.

“The previous occupant had been here for over 20 years, so surely they knew! But we had absolutely no clue it was there.”

Their house, by their understanding, has been around for over 700 years, and the Vicar’s Court itself is rich with history.

Situated in the Minster Yard to the south of the cathedral, it was founded by a college of priests in the 13th century, but was partly demolished by the English Civil War.

What remains are a Grade I listed building and a selection of houses that have been lived in ever since, but you can only rent and cannot buy these houses, as they are the property of Lincoln Cathedral.