The Duke of Gloucester was given a tour of Lindum construction sites past and present during a visit to Lincoln city centre this week.

His Royal Highness was formally welcomed by  the Mayor of Lincoln Councillor Biff Bean and shown around the recently redeveloped Cornhill Quarter.

To start the trip, he walked around Sincil Street and Exchange Square, discussing the history and restoration of the historic buildings and admiring the refurbished features of shops on the street, which was completed by Lindum.

He then called in at Central Market, where we are currently on site.

The redevelopment of The Cornhill Quarter has taken place over the last few years, and now features a range of restaurants, shops, a gym, and a cinema for locals and visitors to enjoy.

Councillor Bean, said: “It was an honour to welcome The Duke to our wonderful city.

“We thoroughly enjoyed showing off recent progress in The Cornhill Quarter and City Square.”

Lindum Group worked with its client Lincolnshire Co-op and many local businesses to rejuvenate the area with a £70 million programme, including the refurbishment of the Corn Exchange buildings and Sincil Street, as well as the development of The Botanist and Everyman Cinema.

Funders for refurbishment projects in this area include: City of Lincoln Council, The National Heritage Lottery Fund, the Be Lincoln Towns Deal Fund, Historic England, Heritage Lincolnshire, Pilgrim Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation and Changing Places.

After taking in Sincil Street, The Duke was introduced to Cornhill Market, currently well underway with its redevelopment plans. He also met a number of tenants trading in The Cornhill Quarter to hear about life working the area since its transformation.

Lindum Group Director Simon Gregory said: “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to show His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester around Lincoln’s newly developed Cornhill Quarter. We have been working over quite a few years now to help create what is one of the highlights of the city, so to be able to discuss the history and development with royalty is a very special moment for us.

It was also an opportunity to describe how much pride everyone who has been involved with the construction work, from the work in the ground to the finishing touches, takes in these projects. There have been around 250 people involved in the Cornhill redevelopment, who can now walk past and say they were a part of that.

“Lindum has always had a strong connection to the royal family, from HRH Princess Anne opening our Lincoln business park back in 2002, a visit to the offices in 2013, to a more recent visit from The Princess Royal to our Magpas Air Ambulance HQ site at Alconbury.”

His Royal Highness saw the hard work that has gone into restoring the Grade II listed building, and new features including the opening of the previously blind arches, the new colour scheme, and light fittings.

Lindum is also lead contractor on the redevelopment of the market as part of the government’s Be Lincoln Town Deal, a £19 million investment plan in which City of Lincoln Council has received funding to support the growth and development of the city. Funding has also come from Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme.