February 19, 2021 10.21 am This story is over 40 months old

Lincoln Cathedral gets almost £1m culture funding

It will fund the new visitor centre at the Old Deanery
A gorgeous scenic view of Lincoln Cathedral. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
By Local Democracy Reporter

Lincoln Cathedral is one of 22 heritage sites in the country to get a share of £13.5 million capital kickstart funding from the government’s £1.57 billion culture recovery fund.

A total of £973,600 has been awarded to the cathedral as a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

In Lincoln, the grant will be used to complete the conversion of the Old Deanery into a new visitor centre, which will come with exhibition spaces, as well as a learning centre, shop and cafe.

The Old Deanery will become a new visitor centre for the Cathedral.

The project will also tackle conservation work to the Gallery of Kings and Romanesque Frieze on the West Front of the cathedral, as well as the 14th century Exchequergate Arch in the Cathedral Close.

Of the 22 venues, only three across the whole country were given more funding than Lincoln Cathedral, with the Black Country Living Museum being given £3.74 million.

Vital conservation works will take place at the cathedral.

Will Harrison, chapter clerk and administrator at Lincoln Cathedral, said: “The creation of the Old Deanery visitor centre, and the vital conservation work on the West Front of the Cathedral is a once-in-a-lifetime project, and has been a major focus of our attentions for the last five years.

“We’re incredibly grateful for this grant, which will ensure that we can conserve the fabric of the Cathedral and, importantly, create a fantastic new accessible and engaging space which can be enjoyed for generations to come.”