Lincoln’s flagship museum and gallery is set to re-open during summer 2026 after a million-pound, two-year transformation.
Fresh from marking its 20th birthday in 2025, the most ambitious upgrade in the building’s history will see the unveiling of new features and a major Viking exhibition showcasing Lincolnshire’s rich heritage.
Re-branded from The Collection to the Lincoln Museum, the new-look venue – located in the heart of Lincoln’s cultural quarter – aims to strengthen the city’s reputation as a leading cultural destination.
Sitting almost under the shadow of the towering gothic Cathedral, the award-winning building was designed to blend into its historic surroundings when it was built in 2005.
Bringing together the city’s rich archaeology and heritage, the museum lies next to the region’s art gallery, the Usher Gallery – opened in 1927 – creating a hub for history and art right in the heart of Lincoln.
Now the museum is set to offer visitors even more, including a newly designed archaeology gallery which will allow objects of international significance to be displayed for the first time.
Among them will be a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age coffin and axe, found buried on a Lincolnshire golf course. The surprise discovery in 2018 came during excavation work on a pond at Tetney Golf Club and is believed to be the burial place of a high-status individual.
Lincolnshire’s many Viking connections will also play a leading role in the re-development, with an exhibition exploring the area’s links to the Norse invaders featuring immersive and hands-on experiences, rare artefacts and nationally significant loan items.
While the Romans and Normans left their mark on Lincolnshire – most notably remnants of Roman walls and Lincoln’s twin Norman gems of Lincoln Castle and Lincoln Cathedral – the Vikings arrived in 865 making the city one of its chief strongholds. Elsewhere in the county, they left a legacy in the names of villages and towns, with many ending in ‘by’, village in Norse, and ‘thorp’ for hamlet.
These historic links are also marked by the Viking Way, which runs 149 miles from the Humber Bridge to Rutland, and the opening of the Museum coincides with the long distance footpath’s 50th anniversary in 2026 (www.visitlincolnshire.com/things-to-do/viking-way/).
Other upgrades at the museum include a vibrant destination café, a revamped retail space and state-of-the-art technology along with refreshed seating in the auditorium.
For more details, visit www.lincolnmuseum.com
For tourist information about visiting the county, see www.visitlincolnshire.com
