'Extensive' repairs to castle to begin this summer

Work on repairing Lincoln Castle, which is nearly 1,000 years old, is expected to start this summer.

Maintenance will be carried out on the walls, towers and other historic structures to keep them safe and open to the public.

Priorities include masonry repairs to the Observatory Tower, which is closed to the public over safety concerns, and emergency work on the inner face of the walls.

Lincolnshire County Council's budget this year contains £1.9m of extra funding for the castle, rising to £5m over the following two years, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The total cost is currently considered commercially sensitive as the council is still procuring contractors, the LDRS said.

A county council meeting on Friday heard the works described as vital.

"We've got a multi-year investment in the castle walls to bring them up to a safe, maintainable standard," Dave Pennington, head of capital projects and professional services, told the meeting.

"We've been carrying out reactive repair work since 2024 which is inefficient.

"It's now apparent we need more strategic long-term efforts to bring them back up to standard."

He said the council may look into hiring in-house stonemasons to carry out future works, rather than hiring contractors.

The programme of work will need a final sign-off from the executive committee next month.

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch thelatest episode of Look Northor tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices