Lincoln music venue to uncover medieval past with £250,000 heritage boost
Funding will help bring the medieval Priory of St Katherine to life with exhibitions, events and interactive experiences beneath Southside
Visitors to a Lincoln music venue will soon be able to step back in time after it's secured around £250,000 in National Lottery Heritage funding to bring centuries of hidden history to life.
Southside, based in the city's former St Katherine's Church, has been awarded the funding to transform the way people experience the medieval remains beneath the venue.
The building stands on the site of the former Priory of St Katherine, with visitors already able to look down through a glass floor at excavated remains below. The new funding will help tell the story of the site through exhibitions, interactive displays, events and improved accessibility.
Operations Director Emily Nichol said the project would shine a light on a part of Lincoln's history that is often overlooked.
"We're really excited," she said.
"We're based on a site that was part of an old priory and just outside our building was Bargate – the lower gate to the city.
"All the great and the good who came to visit the cathedral – King John, the King Henrys, Eleanor of Castile and many more – actually stopped on this site first before they visited the cathedral."
As part of the project, visitors will be able to explore 3D visualisations showing what the priory once looked like, alongside interpretation boards, audio guides and printed materials designed to make the history accessible to as many people as possible.
Living history events and actors are also planned to help recreate life at the medieval site.
A dedicated heritage assistant will be recruited to welcome visitors, explain the site's significance and help expand public access.
Emily said the funding marked the beginning of a much bigger ambition.
"We love Lincoln Castle and the Cathedral, but there's so much more history to the city that's all connected. It's really important to tell the whole story."
The grant will be spread over two years, with Southside hoping to begin introducing new heritage experiences from the autumn once the remaining paperwork is complete.
The organisation plans to apply for further funding in future to continue expanding the project.