On 23 July 2026, Threshold brought cultural historian Diana Darke to Lincoln Arts Centre for Islamesque: The Middle Eastern Influences on Lincoln Cathedral, an illustrated talk delivered as part of Reimagining Lincolnshire, Threshold’s programme uncovering hidden and overlooked histories across the county.
Diana’s talk traced the connections between Lincoln Cathedral and a much older architectural story rooted in the Islamic world. The pointed arches, intricate stonework, and structural techniques that define the Cathedral’s gothic character can be traced back to innovations developed in Islamic architecture centuries before they reached Lincoln. For many attendees, it reframed a building they thought they already knew.
This is the core aim of Reimagining Lincolnshire: surfacing histories that sit underneath familiar places, and making sure that knowledge doesn’t stay in the room. To that end, the evening’s second half was a panel discussion, hosted by Threshold’s Community Engagement Producer Tanya Akrofi, with Brant Clayton of Lincoln Free Walking Tour, Zaib Un Nisa Janjua, Founder and Director of Lincoln Connected Communities CIC, and Diana Darke.
The panel showed what that impact looks like in practice. Zaib spoke about the people she supports who have moved to Lincoln, and how this history offers a point of connection to the city, evidence that part of their own culture is already woven into its most iconic building. Brant spoke about the direct, practical effect on his work: this history is already shaping how he leads his tours, giving him new material to bring to visitors exploring the Cathedral and the city beyond it.
Islamesque was produced by Threshold in partnership with the University of Lincoln, and made possible thanks to National Lottery players, through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
