The Duke of Gloucester was welcomed by The Right Worshipful, the Mayor of Lincoln and local representatives to the city to visit the Cornhill Quarter and Cornhill Market.
To start the trip, His Royal Highness enjoyed a walk around Sincil Street and Exchange Square, discussing the history and restoration of the historic buildings and admiring the refurbished features of shops on the street.
The redevelopment of The Cornhill Quarter has taken place over the last few years, and now features a range of restaurants, shops, a gym and a cinema for locals and visitors to enjoy.
Lincolnshire Co-op and many local businesses rejuvenated the area with a £70 million programme, including the refurbishment of the Corn Exchange buildings.
Funders for refurbishment projects in this area include: City of Lincoln Council, The National Heritage Lottery Fund, the Be Lincoln Towns Deal Fund, Historic England, Heritage Lincolnshire, Pilgrim Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation and Changing Places.
After taking in Sincil Street, The Duke was introduced to Cornhill Market, currently well underway with its redevelopment plans. He also met a number of tenants trading in The Cornhill Quarter to hear about life working in the area since its transformation.
His Royal Highness saw the hard work that has gone into restoring the Grade II listed building, and new features including the opening of the previously blind arches, the new colour scheme and light fittings.
The redevelopment of the market is part of the government’s Be Lincoln Town Deal, a £19 million investment plan in which City of Lincoln Council has received funding to support the growth and development of the city. Funding has also come from Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme.
The Right Worshipful, the Mayor of Lincoln, Councillor Biff Bean, said:
“It was an honour to welcome The Duke to our wonderful city.
“We thoroughly enjoyed showing the fantastic progress in The Cornhill Quarter and City Square.”