THIS week’s diary comes from the beautiful and historic city of Lincoln where my wife and I attended the annual conference and Annual General Meeting of the Crime Writers’ Association.

Our hotel overlooked the magnificent cathedral with its famous three towers and there was some local excitement because a pair of peregrine falcons had decided to nest high upon the cathedral’s south side.

They had produced three chicks – the third year this has occurred – and the spectacle attracted not only keen bird watchers with their telescopes and binoculars but also local people and visitors, many of whom had probably never previously seen a peregrine falcon. However, we arrived just a day too late to see the youngsters leave the nest.

There is no doubt that Lincoln’s superb cathedral is a medieval masterpiece, the present church being built by and for Roman Catholics during the 12th and 14th centuries.

It dominates the city from its lofty site and can be seen from miles around in the flat Lincolnshire landscape.

The first Cathedral was completed in 1092 but was severely damaged by an earthquake after which it remained in a ruinous state.

Meanwhile, however, in 1174 Pope Calixtus III had selected a French Carthusian monk to found a new monastery in England.

His name was Hugh of Avalon and, at the request of Henry II, Hugh was despatched to establish the first English Charterhouse at Witham in Somerset. In 1181, Hugh was then selected to become the new Bishop of Lincoln, then England’s largest diocese and so he arrived in the city shortly before the infamous earthquake damaged the Cathedral.

He was confronted by several huge tasks, one of which was the reconstruction of the cathedral of Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ.

St Hugh, as he was known after his canonisation in 1230, was a fearless man who could cope with the tantrums and demands of kings while tending the poor and the sick in his enormous diocese. He was described as a good man who was as fearless as a lion, and it was his early efforts and foresight that produced the fine cathedral we can visit today.

St Hugh, who is depicted in portraits with a swan at his side, died in Lincoln’s Inn, London, but was buried in Lincoln Cathedral. A shrine was erected to his memory but it was destroyed at the Reformation; his relics in their jewelled casket were burnt.

The site of the shrine can be seen within the Cathedral but the structure itself is probably a copy of the original.

The Catholic origins of this cathedral remain very much in evidence as one tours the wonderful building, but one curiosity is the famous Lincoln Imp. His figure can be seen within the cathedral but it is most difficult to locate without some help.

The imp has become a vital part of local folklore and recreations of his image can be found throughout the city in stores, art galleries and even sweet shops.

Should you decide to visit this cathedral, the Lincoln Imp features as part of some carved stonework at the top of a pillar in the area known as the Angel Choir. The figure of the imp is at the base of the carved stonework and at first glance appears to be part of that decoration.

However, you need to look for a small figure less than a foot (30cm) in height who is sitting cross legged with a wide toothy grin on his somewhat ugly face. If you can’t find him, someone will point him out or alternatively you can press a switch to flood him with light!

With such a dominating presence such as the cathedral towering over Lincoln, one can easily overlook other elements of the city’s ancient history. It has Roman origins, their soldiers conquering the surrounding area in 48 AD. As a result, they built a fortress at Lincoln, making good use of its strategic position upon a hill overlooking the River Witham and neighbouring countryside.

A prosperous walled town quickly developed, and it was called Lindum Colonia; when the Romans left around 407 AD, the name became Lindon and eventually Lincoln. Evidence of their presence can be seen around the city centre.

Indeed, the present castle is constructed upon the site of a former Roman fortress. This huge structure occupies a site close to the cathedral and it remains in very good condition, being open to the public. The walls are still intact and this castle is unusual because it has two mottes, being one of only two in England with this feature. The other is at Lewes in Sussex.

The original castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068, one of the first he constructed in this country and different parts have been added over the centuries.

The Observatory Tower, for example, was first built in 1150 with further parts being added in the 14th century, but when the castle contained a prison in Victorian times, it is said the Governor added to the tower because, so he claimed, it would aid his officers to see and catch escapees.

It was known, however, that he was a keen astronomer, but in World War II, that tower became a fire-watch post. The prison chapel, the only such survivor in England, is astonishing.

Lincoln is also the home of some of the oldest surviving domestic buildings in England, most of which are still in use. Some are atmospheric shops; one example is the Jew’s House in The Strait at Lincoln, said to have been built in 1170, making it more than 800 years old.

Another one is called The House of Aaron the Jew dating to the same period. These old houses were built by the Normans because they worked with the Jewish population to increase trade within the city.

The landscape around Lincoln is flat and highly fertile, being used to produce a wide range of crops but it also provides ideal locations for many airfields. The Royal Air Force College at Cranwell is a few miles south of the city while RAF Scampton, five miles to the north, is renowned as the home of the famous Dambusters Squadron for World War II.

Some of the former runways of small airfields can still be seen, although many have now been broken up and lost forever but all are part of the history of Lincoln.

SOMETHING of a fuss has recently been created about the activities of magpies, particularly at this time of year when smaller birds are nesting or rearing their chicks. It has been claimed that a marauding magpie will scour a hedgerow to take out the eggs or chicks of all the birds nesting within its branches. Likewise, the nests of ground nesting birds and game birds are equally at risk.

It is claims of this kind that suggest the magpie is largely responsible for the reduction in numbers of some of our songbirds, but the contrary argument is that magpies are not the sole culprits. We know that other predators are at work and these might range from sparrow hawks to carrion crows by way of domestic cats, foxes and weasels.

The latter of course are particularly interested in ground nesting birds and their chicks but a weasel is quick enough and agile enough to catch a bird in flight. I rather think a cat is too.

If magpies are proved to be a major factor in the decline of our song birds, then they may be trapped and despatched, albeit under strict rules.

Anyone killing a magpie outside those rules can be fined up to £5,000 and so it makes sense to become acquainted with any relative procedures as well as current rules and regulations.

Probably, if magpies are a serious problem the wisest approach would be to discuss the matter with your nearest branch of the RSPB.

And finally, a reader has emailed to record hearing the cuckoo on April 21 during a walk from Brimham Rocks to Pateley Bridge.