November 4, 2021 3.26 pm This story is over 28 months old

Lincoln Castle removed from Historic England ‘at risk register’ after £1.2m repairs

Lockdown repairs shored up retaining walls
An aerial view of Lincoln Castle and surrounding castle walls. | Photo: Historic England

Lincoln Castle has been removed from Historic England’s ‘at risk register’ after £1.2 million of urgent wall repairs carried out over the lockdown period.

The attraction was added to the Heritage at Risk Register in 2020 after the sloping banks the castle walls stand on became disturbed by tree growth and extreme weather.

A major programme of stabilisation and repair works then began after a £1,281,990 Covid Emergency Heritage Stimulus Fund grant.

The repairs have now been completed, and although further conservation work is still needed on parts of the walls, the castle is no longer at risk.

Work started in November 2020 to install ground anchors and a reinforced mesh along the embankment, and repair all the retaining walls behind the properties on Union Road. This was completed earlier this year.

To access the funding needed to carry out the work, Lincoln Castle was briefly added to the Historic England ‘heritage at risk’ register in 2020, before being removed less than a year later once work had taken place.

Cllr Lindsey Cawrey, executive member for cultural services at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Whilst there never was an immediate threat to the castle walls, we didn’t want the embankment to deteriorate to a point where it could cause an issue to the wall above. This funding has allowed us to shore up the bank straight away and stop any deterioration.

“As well as being nationally significant for the part it played in our country’s history, Lincoln Castle continues to be a place of safety for our residents, as many people from across Lincolnshire benefit from the safe, green open space it provides as we recover from the effects of lockdown.

“With any issues about the condition of the embankment now resolved, we’re looking ahead to a year of events that continue to welcome locals and visitors alike to our historic castle.”

The annual Heritage at Risk Register for is the yearly health-check of England’s most valued historic places and those most at risk of being lost forever as a result of neglect, decay or inappropriate development.

Over the past year, 130 historic buildings and sites have been added to the register because of their deteriorating condition and 233 sites have been saved and their futures secured.

There are now 4,985 assets on the Register in England, 112 fewer than in 2020.

Lincoln Castle is one of 27 historic buildings and sites in the East Midlands that have been removed from Historic England’s ‘heritage at risk’ register this year.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive at Historic England, said: “Our heritage is an anchor for us all in testing times.

“Despite the challenges we have all faced recently, this year’s Heritage at Risk Register demonstrates that looking after and investing in our historic places can bring communities together, contribute to the country’s economic recovery and help tackle climate change.”