Countdown to Lincoln Castle Revealed

More than 250 people came to an event earlier this week which began the 6 month countdown to the re-opening of the transformed Lincoln Castle.  Lord Cormack, Chairman of the Historic Lincoln Trust welcomed people from all over Lincolnshire and further afield to the event at the EPIC Centre at Lincolnshire Showground. This opportunity to look behind the scenes of such a significant heritage project had been eagerly anticipated by everyone who came along.

Delegates enjoyed stories of the hidden histories behind the Castle from the historical researchers, hearing that it is now known that the Castle had stone walls by 1115, and that as a place of incarceration for centuries inmates included John Wesley’s father, and convicts who were later transported to Australia.

Woodhead Heritage, the conservation and restoration team on the project and sponsors of the event, told visitors about some of the complexities of working on such a significant site which had the added complication of being a public tourist attraction which has remained open throughout the works. The construction team has worked around filming for Downton Abbey and Time Team, Lincoln’s Christmas Market, Graduation ceremonies for 12,000 students and the Olympic Torch Relay!

Participants were also engrossed in the Lincoln Cathedral Connected workshop – an opportunity to contribute to the plans for the Cathedral’s HLF funding proposal; others heard more about the archaeological finds and the DNA testing on skeletal remains uncovered in the digs, as well as the events programme to celebrate the 800^th anniversary of Magna Carta in 2015.

It was a great event – and one which has made everyone look forward to the 1^st April 2015 with huge anticipation!