Lincoln Cathedral finally emerges from restoration project

Until last week, no one under the age of 40 had seen Lincoln Cathedral in all its glory, because the building had been covered in scaffolding since 1986. Now the cathedral that William the Conqueror commissioned in 1072 – and which was for a time the tallest structure in the world – has finally emerged from the restoration project, which involved scrubbing its exterior of hundreds of years of accumulated grime. Pamela Bahr, a retired secretary, told The Sunday Times that she was bringing her adult daughter to see the facade for the first time. “I have been to so many services, it is part of my life,” said Bahr, 69. “It is the city, the cathedral. It is Lincoln.” 

‘Historic moment’ for mankind

Nasa has released the first images captured by its $10bn James Webb Telescope, which launched in December. The images, which are in ravishing colour, offer the most detailed view to date of the early universe, and were unveiled by Joe Biden, who hailed it as a “historic moment” for mankind. One picture shows a galaxy cluster as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago; another shows the Carina Nebula, a “stellar nursery” in which stars are coming into being. 

Seven-year-old cycles from London to Paris 

A seven-year-old boy from Leicestershire has become the youngest-known person to cycle from London to Paris. Rupert Brooke was taught to ride a bike by his father, Tom, who died in a work accident three years ago. He completed the ride with his mother on Sunday, and in so doing, raised more than £33,000 for the Children’s Bereavement Centre in Newark. “They helped me to understand the difficult feelings I was having, and introduced me to other children who know how I feel, so that we could have fun together and feel less alone,” he said.