July 5, 2016 2.21 pm This story is over 92 months old

Lincoln Castle removed Magna Carta from vault due to humidity rise

Lincoln Castle have removed copies of the 1215 Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest from their state-of-the-art vault due to high humidity levels. The subterranean vault, constructed thanks to a £1.4 million donation from the David Ross Foundation as part of the £22 million Lincoln Castle Revealed project, was opened in April 2015.…

Lincoln Castle have removed copies of the 1215 Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest from their state-of-the-art vault due to high humidity levels.

The subterranean vault, constructed thanks to a £1.4 million donation from the David Ross Foundation as part of the £22 million Lincoln Castle Revealed project, was opened in April 2015.

Lincolnshire County Council, which manages the site, has said the two documents have been moved from their displays to a ‘controlled environment’ as a precautionary measure.

Thankfully, no damage has been caused to the priceless historic documents.

It is not known when they will be returned to their displays, but for the meantime, visitors are being offered a 10% discount on all-inclusive tickets.

William Brown, county heritage manager, said: “Due to a rise in the humidity level in the David Ross Magna Carta vault at Lincoln Castle, we’ve temporarily moved Magna Carta and Charter of the Forest from the vault to a controlled environment as a precautionary measure.

“The documents are removed from display occasionally as a matter of course to protect them from overexposure so this is not unusual and is part of our duty as a responsible guardian of the documents.

“We’re working quickly to restore the vault to the optimum temperature for the documents, so that they can be returned.

“In the meantime, all our other attractions are open as usual at Lincoln Castle and we are offering a 10% reduction on our all-inclusive ticket.”