City of Lincoln Council, in partnership with Historic England has awarded £280,000 to the Lincolnshire Co-operative as part of £770,000 works to repair and reinstate heritage features at The Barbican.
The funding forms part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ).
In April 2020, the city council received a successful bid for funding of £1.68 million from Historic England, which has enabled a programme of historic building restorations designed to revitalise the area and uncover its rich history.
Included in this is plans to revitalise some of Lincoln’s historic buildings to bring them back to their former glory.
Situated at 11 St Mary’s Street, The Barbican Hotel was grade II listed in July 2021 and is a high-quality mid-19th century building originally constructed as a Gentleman’s Club and repurposed as the Albion Hotel in 1876.
The £280,000 from the HSHAZ will enable roof repairs, repairs to timber windows, cast iron RWG, stonework repairs, brickwork repairs and repointing, prior to works to transform the building into a creative hub for the city – a project ran by the University of Lincoln in partnership with Lincolnshire Co-op.
This will be match-funded by the Lincoln Towns Fund, which has seen £19million awarded to Lincoln to drive economic regeneration and deliver long-term economic and productivity growth.
The building is in close proximity to Lincoln’s new Transport Hub, comprising a bus station, a 1,000-space multi-storey car park and an improved Lincoln Central railway station.
The Barbican forms an important first impression of Lincoln by virtue of its location and stature.
Cllr Neil Murray, Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth and Historic Environment Advocate at City of Lincoln Council said: “This building has been vacant for a number of years and is suffering considerable decay.
“Should the building degrade further, it will become detrimental to the overall character and appearance of the conservation area.
“The Lincoln HSHAZ is committed to offering grant support to aid the restoration, reinstatement and sympathetic refurbishment of the Barbican Hotel between taking place between 2021-2023.
“I look forward to seeing works progress to bring this magnificent building back to its former glory.”
David Walsh, Principal Advisor at Historic England added: “We are delighted that the Barbican will be repaired as part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone, and as part of the wider Towns Fund programme.
“The Barbican is the first building people see when they come out of the railway station and the building’s national importance was recognised when it was listed at Grade II last year.
"Restoring the Barbican to its former glory will help complete the very successful regeneration of this ‘gateway’ to Lincoln.”
Find out more about the Lincoln High Street Heritage Action Zone.