T

he legend of Robin Hood was being told and retold well before Kevin Costner or Russell Crowe pulled on those funny green tights.

Oddly enough the earliest surviving rhyme about the outlaw was written by a bored schoolboy and can be seen today (along with the class work he was supposed to be doing) in the library of Lincoln Cathedral. It’s not really surprising that the first mention of the hero should turn up in Lincolnshire.

While every schoolchild knows Robin came from Nottingham, it was at the Lincoln Castle archery tournaments that he showed off his skills with a bow and arrow – and the ladies.While fascinating, the rhyme is still just a schoolboy’s doodle.

If you’re looking for something a bit more highbrow, then the antique bookcases of the Christopher-Wren-designed library also house an early version of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and a copy of the Magna Carta.

Ideal for a little “light” reading.