Description
On approach it becomes clear that the museum is more about preserving the history of Lincoln than appearing as a monumental postcard image. Situated between the new and old cities, the building successfully finds its place as a modern architectural work. Locally quarried stone (Ancaster weatherbed limestone) gives the impression of a modern museum built up from the roots of the old city and has caused many favourable comments from local users. The museum is accessed from the street or approached from the adjacent art gallery by way of the eastern courtyard. Using the latter the raw, textured, asymmetrical façade gently guides visitors into the lower entrance. Inside the building a collection of dramatically lit, earthy, spaces come together to create a journey through history. On plan the museum is a comfortable collision of spaces that originally started as fairly formal but became more organic as the project developed.
Like much of Lincoln, the museum sits on a steeply sloping site, 1:8, which has been exploited in the design. Passing a welcoming café entered from the courtyard, and a shop beside the upper level street entrance, one is lead across a timber and glass bridge which connects directly to the street and overlooks the courtyard. The courtyard is a vital part of the design as it links the university on the eastern side and the commercial centre to the west creating a public space running through the site.
Behind the reception desk, the curved outer wall of the theatre opens out to celebrate a space bathed in natural light. This long orientation hall narrows to full height windows at each end, giving a contextual view on either side of the building. Before entering the galleries from this space, one is confronted by a huge wall built from narrow stone courses which create a pattern of many tiny openings reminiscent of a woven textile. At night the walls are wonderfully lit from the channels running along the floor edge, which further accentuate the textured stone work. The wall is a 'talking wall', which broadcasts softly a multitude of pre-recorded speeches describing different aspects of Lincolnshire history for visitors to dally and listen to, or ignore, as they choose.
The visitor is constantly reminded of where they are by views, such as towards the Cathedral, that are gracefully framed within the museum making the most of its location on a hill. Occasional horizontal slices of light penetrate through the brickwork giving sudden depth to small areas.
Well presented artworks in the gallery space for temporary exhibitions make best use of the natural light and pure enclosures and the roof structure can be seen. The permanent exhibit makes little reference to the character or style of the building but the generous gallery dimensions give flexibility to accommodate variety, although small objects can seem a little lost in the space.
The sloping site has been well used by the architects to create an extra 900 square metres in the lower level of the gallery that could be rented or provide for expansion at a later date.
