Lincoln City Council has agreed to transfer ownership of numerous historic artefacts to Lincolnshire County Council, a move resulting from negotiations concerning the Usher Gallery's ongoing

management.

The artefacts primarily originate from locations outside the city, scattered across Lincolnshire and beyond. However, the city council will retain control of its extensive art collection.

This agreement, solidifying the terms established in August 2021, focuses on the Usher Gallery's operational aspects, ensuring the city council's art and artefacts receive free storage, conservation, and exhibition facilities.

Both councils committed to jointly seeking external funding to enhance The Collection building and the Usher Gallery, aiming for an integrated approach across the adjacent sites.

This decision follows considerations in 2019 by the city council to potentially transfer all items to Nottingham for safekeeping.

The collection encompasses various items, including species, clay, and fossil samples, as well as artefacts from Roman, Saxon, and Bronze-Age origins.

Simon Walters, the council's strategic director, highlighted that the maintenance costs for these artefacts outweigh their nominal value. He clarified that Lincolnshire County Council, entrusted with caring for these items since 1974, would not have the liberty to sell any artefacts without following a stringent disposal process.

While acknowledging the significance of these artefacts, Lincoln's Labour leader, Ric Metcalfe, emphasized that they primarily hail from areas outside the city.

Lindsey Cawrey, the executive member for culture at the county council, expressed optimism about this transfer, emphasizing that it secures the artefacts' future as permanent components of Lincoln Museum and the Usher Gallery's collection. Photo by Richard Croft, Wikimedia commons.