News from Lincoln Castle:
The historic document will be returned to the vault at Lincoln Castle today (Friday 5 August), after work has been completed to reset the humidity level.
Magna Carta and Charter of the Forest were moved to a confidential location earlier in the summer, following a rise in humidity in the David Ross Magna Carta vault.
Due to the specific requirements for hosting the documents, they had to be moved to a controlled environment while the problem was fixed.
A small leak was found in the roof to be the cause of the humidity rise. Contractors who had been involved in designing and building the vault repaired the problem. The humidity level is now back to the right level for the documents.
Will Brown, county heritage manager, said:
“Thank you to our visitors who have been patient and to everyone who has played a part in getting Magna Carta home. The castle team has worked hard to make sure people were still getting a full and enjoyable experience in the documents’ absence.
“As a responsible guardian of these precious pieces of history, we have to take looking after them seriously. That’s why we moved the documents while we worked out what the problem was and fixed it.
“All-inclusive ticket buyers get one free return visit within six months. So if you’ve been to the castle while Magna Carta has been away, you can return once free of charge with your ticket.”
Charter of the Forest is now in a ‘rest period’ before celebrations begin next year to celebrate its 800th anniversary. Meanwhile, Henry VIII’s 1225 Charter is on display alongside Magna Carta in the vault.
