Lincolnshire is a county of churches. With hundreds of historic parish churches scattered across its towns, villages and countryside, it can arguably claim to have more churches than any other county in the UK. From tiny medieval churches hidden among the Wolds and Fens to magnificent market-town spires, they form an unmistakable part of the Lincolnshire landscape.

Many have stood for centuries, their towers and spires serving as landmarks long before modern roads and towns appeared. Built from local limestone, ironstone, brick and flint, they contain architecture spanning the Norman, Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic periods, as well as countless smaller details that tell the stories of the communities that built and used them.

And towering above them all is arguably Britain's greatest church – Lincoln Cathedral.

Founded in 1072, the Cathedral was substantially rebuilt following a devastating earthquake in 1185, with Bishop Hugh of Avalon beginning the transformation that created much of the magnificent Gothic building we see today.

Its medieval central spire, completed in 1311, rose to around 160 metres (525 feet). For the following 238 years Lincoln Cathedral was the tallest building in the world, finally losing that extraordinary distinction when the spire collapsed during a storm in 1548.

The Cathedral also contains the celebrated Angel Choir, completed in 1280, and an internationally important Romanesque frieze dating from around 1120–1160 – described as the longest and most intact narrative frieze of its kind in Western Europe.

Visible for miles across the surrounding countryside, Lincoln Cathedral has dominated the county's skyline for almost a thousand years. During the Second World War its familiar silhouette even became a welcome landmark for bomber crews returning to Lincolnshire's many RAF airfields.

This gallery celebrates that remarkable ecclesiastical heritage – from Lincoln Cathedral itself to the village towers, weathered stonework, ancient doorways and quiet churchyards that have become such an enduring part of the Lincolnshire landscape.