The year was 1215 and one of history’s most iconic documents had just been signed – the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta – meaning ‘Great Charter’ – changed history by declaring the king had to act within the rule of law. And Lincoln Castle is the only place in the world where an original 1215 Magna Carta can be seen alongside a re-issued version (‘Charter of the Forest’) from 1217.
Built by William the Conqueror in 1068 Lincoln Castle has stood for hundreds of years as a symbol of justice and seat of power. But after decades of decline, the castle was in desperate need of renovation. In April this year, thanks to £12.2 million of lottery-funding, Lincoln Castle re-opened.
Mary Powell, who has led the project since 2005, said: “It has taken a cast of hundreds, a lot of midnight oil being burned and a few shocks and surprises along the way, like finding the Saxon church and sarcophagus, not to mention Roman buildings underneath where the new Magna Carta vault was to go.”
The ‘burning of the midnight oil’ was worth it – since the castle reopened in April, over 130,000 people have visited, giving a much needed boost to the local economy.
Lincoln Castle is one of the projects in the Heritage category of The National Lottery Awards, which celebrate the UK’s favourite National Lottery funded projects. It is one of only seven of the 49 finalists to be selected to star on The National Lottery draw shows over previous weeks.
The winning projects will receive a £2,000 cash prize, an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy and attend a star-studded Awards ceremony, broadcast on BBC One in September.
To find out more about this project or the 48 other projects in the Awards this year, go to
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