Delicate operation: 9 tonne staircase lifted into Lincoln Castle

A custom Corten steel staircase weighing 9 tonnes was hoisted above uphill Lincoln this morning as it became the latest addition to the Lincoln Castle redevelopment.

The 14m high staircase, together with a recently installed lift tower, cost £378,956 and will provide access to the castle wall walks.

The installation comes as, in under five months, the castle will be revealed with a £22 million new look.

Tourism Development Manager at Lincolnshire County Council, Mary Powell, said: ” The staircase and lift tower will provide new access onto castle wall walks.

“They will be set back from the wall and joined by a footbridge.

“They are purposely built lower than the wall itself so they cannot be seen from the other side. The lift tower segment was installed a month ago and as it was in parts we could squeeze it through the east gate.

With less than for months to go until the Lincoln Castle big reveal, an army of staff are putting on the finishing touches. Photo: Emily Norton

“As the staircase is in one piece, we needed to bring in an 80 tonne crane to fit it into position.

“At this stage, building work is still ongoing in a lot of other parts of the castle. In some parts, the fixtures and fittings are going in and it looks wonderful.

“It’s almost like and army working on the site today.

“Corten steel is fantastic and after a while it turns a rusty red. It’s often used in heritage sites and will blend in and sit well with the red bricks on site.”