The twentieth century and beyond
The Victorian Wesleyan church continued in use as a place of worship until 1977,
when the Methodists resolved to close the church and sell the site.
The church was subsequently used as an antiques centre and then as a wholesale ironmongers.
The buildings slowly fell into a poor state of repair and were eventually placed
on the City of Lincoln’s Buildings at Risk Register. The site was endowed to the
Traditional Anglican Church by the Ozbek family who owned the site in 2001.
In 2001, The Priory Trust was formed to renovate the school chapel buildings and
develop the Priory Community Centre, which opened in 2005 and has proved very successful.
The small chapel in the south side of the church was partially refurbished and opened
as a place of worship for the Traditional Anglican Church. This chapel is known
as the Lady Chapel and its use is part of the evolving story of this intriguing
site. The majority of the building remained in need of extensive restoration work.
The importance of the history and heritage of the site was acknowledged and The
Priory Trust decided to seek funding to fully restore the building and provide an
attractive and accessible venue in which to tell the story of the site of St Katherine’s.
Funding for the restoration is now in place and work has started on the restoration
of the building.
The building itself and the site on which it stands, have an important history and
heritage and a wealth of stories to tell. From early times, the site has served
the local community in addition to welcoming famous characters including King Edward
I, James I and in more recent times His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.
Recent archaeological excavations in the nave of the church have confirmed the presence
of medieval foundations, ceramics and an aqueduct.
Once restored, the building will be developed as a community heritage and cultural
resource for the local community, the city, the region and beyond. Tourism will
play a key role in the development of St Katherine’s.
Our vision is to develop a vibrant cultural heritage centre that offers innovative
and creative learning opportunities inspired by the rich history and heritage of
the site and to play an active part in the regeneration of what is a very important
area of the City of Lincoln.
We look forward to welcoming visitors to St Katherine’s when we open in 2009.
