Matt Warman MP visits Kirton Heritage Restoration Site

Matt Warman MP visited the site of the Old King’s Head at Kirton on Friday (17th May) for an update on progress towards restoring this historic building and giving it a new lease of life as a B&B, Café/Deli and Community Space.

The building was purchased by Heritage Lincolnshire in 2016 and its conservation has been funded by a £1,987,300 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. With its original date stone from 1599 (although there is evidence of an older building on site), the Old King’s Head is an integral part of Kirton’s history and is Kirton’s oldest secular building.

Matt heard from Heritage Lincolnshire project manager Matthew Bentley about the visits organised for the local primary school to involve them in the project including a ‘big dig’ archaeological excavation which, amongst other finds, has turned up some fragments of medieval pottery.

Matthew Bentley emphasised the support the project has had from the Kirton community including £6,000 raised through local crowdfunding. He said,

“With all our heritage projects Heritage Lincolnshire tries to involve local communities as much as possible and we’ve been delighted with the support we’ve had from Kirton residents. With its location on what was once the main trading route from Boston to London, the Old King’s Head is now ideally placed to attract visitors to the area and we will be working in partnership with, for example, the RSPB to spread the word and encourage tourists to come and visit this fantastic historic building.”

Speaking after the visit Matt said,

“I was delighted to visit the Old King’s Head and see the sympathetic approach that is being taken to conserving this historic building and making it fit for its new purpose at the heart of Kirton’s community once again. Importantly, the project is also offering jobs and skills to our local area with three new apprentices from Kirton currently working on site. Once open as a B&B and Café, the Old King’s Head will bring a vital tourist amenity to Kirton as well as offering a flexible community space. I look forward to tracking the progress of the project through to its completion, expected around April of next year.”

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