Lincoln Cathedral has won an £11m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to support a £16m project.
The funding will help realise the Lincoln Cathedral Connected project – an ambitious scheme that aims to enhance and provide new state of the art facilities for the people of Lincoln and Lincolnshire, as well as the many thousands of tourists who visit every year.
Facilities will include an interpretation centre, education suite, shops, ‘Changing Places’ room and community spaces, with full accessibility throughout.
The restoration and conservation of the Romanesque Frieze, Gallery of Kings and Exchequergate Arch will also be funded as well as a new floodlighting scheme.
The £16m project will also involve extensive landscaping to the west and north of the Cathedral to create new outdoor spaces, which will open up areas like the Dean’s Green to the public for the first time in decades.
Ros Kerslake, CEO at HLF, said: “Lincoln Cathedral is one of England’s finest surviving architectural examples of Norman power and dominance. With £11.4m of support from National Lottery players, restoration work can now begin along with the creation of a new interpretation centre.
“We’re particularly supportive of a complementary programme of activities aimed at doubling current school visit numbers as well as drawing in a wider and more diverse range of visitors.”
The team behind the bid believe that work will generally help boost the local economy and that the redevelopments will result in an extra 125,000 visitors a year, bringing in an additional estimated profit of £500,000 to the Cathedral alone.
The project will create a number of jobs and volunteering opportunities and provide training for Cathedral staff and volunteers.
The Subdean of Lincoln, the Revd Canon John Patrick, who is also Master of the Fabric, said: “This project has been many years in the making, and have resulted in fabulous plans which will transform Lincoln Cathedral into a top destination, while supporting our ministry of excellent worship and ministry.
“In the past 18 months we have unearthed some fabulous hidden history, which we are looking forward to showcase when the project is complete in 2020.”