THE historic architecture of Lincoln draws thousands of visitors to the county each year.

But tradesmen with the skills to maintain and restore the fabric of the city are thin on the ground.

That's where a new purpose-built centre will come in.

In a bid to protect the cultural identity of the city – and other historic buildings elsewhere in the county – Lincolnshire County Council is creating a Heritage Skills Centre in the grounds of Lincoln Castle.

As well as a training area for new recruits to learn bygone trades, there will also be public viewing spaces for the four workshops being created within, making it a visitors' attraction.

Mary Powell, tourism development officer at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "The centre will be striking architecturally and built to the highest quality to fit within this wonderful medieval setting. It will provide a halfway house between building site and classroom.

"The centre will be an investment in an education and business network that for too long has had high skills, but low status."

The building will be staffed with craftsmen who will initially come from Lincoln Cathedral, as well as ten trainees employed using a £250,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant.

Cathedral works manager Carol Heidschuster said it will be an investment in the county's future.

She said: "We have limited space in our workshops at the cathedral, so this will offer us the chance to have a much more accessible training environment.

"The centre is a huge leap forward as it won't just look at stone work and traditional joinery, but other crafts that are also dying out."

Cash for the £1.75 million centre is coming from three funds – £600,000 from the county council, £500,000 from the East Midlands Development Agency and £650,000 from European Regional Development Fund.

Emma Tatlow, of Visit Lincolnshire, said it will be a great addition to the city.

"The centre will reveal a new side to Lincoln's visitor appeal. It will share the restoration and preservation work needed to keep the historic attractions open and accessible to the public.

"Visitors will be able to see, for the first time, traditional skills such as stone masonry and joinery work, and how they are being used to maintain historic buildings."

Councillor Eddy Poll, portfolio holder for the castle, said: "The Heritage Skills Centre will form one part of a series of improvements at Lincoln Castle. The centre will not only provide valuable heritage skills workers to keep Lincoln's most famous landmarks in great condition, it will also become a unique visitor attraction.

"We would also like to thank the court service for the early release of the car park."