August 5, 2016 10.58 am This story is over 90 months old

Magna Carta returned to Lincoln Castle vault after roof leak

Lincoln’s copy of the 1215 Magna Carta is being returned to its home today, one month after humidity levels rose in the state-of-the-art vault. The historic document, along with the Charter of the Forest, was moved to a secret location at the beginning of July due to a leak in the roof of the David Ross…

Lincoln’s copy of the 1215 Magna Carta is being returned to its home today, one month after humidity levels rose in the state-of-the-art vault.

The historic document, along with the Charter of the Forest, was moved to a secret location at the beginning of July due to a leak in the roof of the David Ross Magna Carta vault, which caused humidity levels to rise.

Due to the specific requirements for hosting the documents, they had to be moved to a controlled environment while the problem was fixed.

Contractors who had been involved in designing and building the vault repaired the problem. The humidity level is now back to the right level for the documents.

Will Brown, county heritage manager for Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Thank you to our visitors who have been patient and to everyone who has played a part in getting Magna Carta home.

“The castle team has worked hard to make sure people were still getting a full and enjoyable experience in the documents’ absence.

“As a responsible guardian of these precious pieces of history, we have to take looking after them seriously. That’s why we moved the documents while we worked out what the problem was and fixed it.

“All-inclusive ticket buyers get one free return visit within six months. So if you’ve been to the castle while Magna Carta has been away, you can return once free of charge with your ticket.”

Charter of the Forest is now in a ‘rest period’ before celebrations begin next year to celebrate its 800th anniversary. Meanwhile, Henry VIII’s 1225 Charter is on display alongside Magna Carta in the vault.

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.