The Messenger team are pleased to publicize the commencement of works to conserve Lincoln Medieval Bishops’ Palace for the future. The £2.5m two-year project for English Heritage, will help safeguard what remains of the former home of the Bishops’ of Lincoln, which served as the centre of power for the largest diocese in medieval England for nearly five hundred years.
The project has commenced with a survey produced by laser-scanning to generate a computer model of the ruined buildings. The Messenger team of specialist stonemasons will soon start to remove damaging vegetation from the ruins, repair the masonry with traditional lime-based mortar and local Lincoln limestone and protect the walls for the future either by soft capping the tops with turf, lead capping or stone slate capping.
The palace has been a ruin for over 350 years since it suffered damage in the Civil War in the 1640s, and – exposed to the elements for centuries – its porous Lincolnshire limestone walls have begun to deteriorate. Now, thanks to this major investment by English Heritage and the skills of our specialist teams, new measures will halt the decline of the building’s historic stonework and help to stabilise and repair it for the future.
Jeremy Ashbee Head Properties Curator, at English Heritage commented:
“Lincoln Medieval Bishops’ Palace was once one of the most important buildings in England, and in its day, just as magnificent as the lovely cathedral in whose shadow it stands. This conservation project will help to protect the remains of the building and safeguard some of its unique decorative treasures – including the arches and marble columns in the west porch.”
English Heritage, the charity which cares for more than 400 of England’s most significant historic buildings, monuments and sites. The property will remain closed for the duration of the works but you can explore the palace and read further information via the English Heritage website.
