Two Lincoln museums win national tourist visitor awards

Lincoln Castle has won the national tourist award for the second year running

Two Lincoln museums have won awards for being amongst the country's best attractions.

Lincoln Castle and The Collection and Usher Gallery have picked up Visit England Welcome Accolades.

The tourist authority praised the venues for the "warm and friendly welcome they provide to visitors".

Paul Mason, visitor experience manager at The Collection Museum and Usher Gallery, said he was "over the moon" to receive the accolade.

"The Collection has had a bumper year, with over 78,000 visitors through the doors for some of our most popular exhibitions ever, so this award is just the icing on the cake for us," he said.

"We're always keen to offer new events, exhibitions and experiences to keep people coming back to the city and to us, and a national award like this helps put The Collection and Lincoln on the map."

The Collection has seen visitor numbers back to about where they were pre-pandemic.

It displays the archaeological history of the county, including fossils and pottery dating back to the Stone Age. The adjacent Usher Gallery has more than 6,000 artworks dating back to the 16th Century.

The Usher Gallery houses more than 6,000 artworks dating back to the 16th Century.

Lincoln Castle houses a copy of the Magna Carta, one of only four surviving originals of the 1215 document.

It is the second year running that it has has received the national award.

Caroline Ward, visitor experience manager at the castle, said the award was recognition for the hard work by its team of staff and volunteers.

"From being a place for people to meet in the heart of the city, to playing host to the world's biggest Steampunk Festival and the ever-popular Christmas Market, the castle means so many different things to different people," she said.