October 29, 2015 4.19 pm This story is over 101 months old

Lincoln Cathedral appeals for public’s help to raise £10k for turret restoration

Help needed: A crowdfunder to restore one of Lincoln Cathedral’s iconic turrets to its former glory comes to a close in just two weeks.

A crowdfunder to restore one of Lincoln Cathedral’s iconic turrets to its former glory comes to a close in just two weeks, with more supporters needed to reach the target of £10,000.

So far 74 backers have pledged nearly £3,400 to the renovation of the north west turret, but with 14 days to go, time is running out to reach the overall target.

A hard frost in 2009 resulted in some of the decorative stone breaking away from the turrets, with several pieces large enough to pose a danger to the public.

Cathedral staff roped off the area and hired a team of specialist abseiling stonemasons, who discovered a number of structural cracks and crumbling areas of stonework.

Work costing £2.5 million has been necessary to protect the future of the West Front.

The repair of the south west turret was completed in 2014 and work on the north west turret is expected to finish in 2016.

The north west turret restoration alone is costing around £1.25 million.

Previous fundraising has included efforts from local farmers and even once-in-a-lifetime turret tours, where people were invited to purchase a ticket and scale the 135 ft structure.

All the contributions Lincoln Cathedral receives from the Crowdfunder page will go towards the turret’s restoration.

Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

In recent years, new carvings have been created, and include a jubilee crown, fox hunting carvings and a carving of Nelson Mandela.

Christine Dawson, who has donated to the project, said: “Lincoln Cathedral has been part of my history for 67 years. I am delighted to be able to assist once again. We want to be able to enjoy the building for another 600 years.

Another supporter, Andrew Burgess, added: “You cannot enter Lincoln and not stare in awe. One of my favourite memories of the ccathedral is as a child, knowing as soon as I saw the cathedral in the front window of the car, I was home.”

Click here to donate to the crowdfunder. Donations will be accepted on the page until 10am on November 12.