The Queen opens the Great Hall and Ashworth Centre at Lincoln’s Inn
Transformational change in historic London
MICA were delighted to meet Her Majesty The Queen when she visited The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn on Thursday 13th December 2018 to reopen the Great Hall and unveil the new Ashworth Centre. The Great Hall was originally opened by HM Queen Victoria in 1845. The design and construction team were all present on the day and were delighted to hear her say that the improvements to the Inn were “Amazing”.
MICA’s projects for the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn are the most significant developments at the Inn for over 150 years. The reopening marks the completion of the latest phase of works which are the outcome of MICA’s strategic review and masterplan of the Inn’s estate. The brief had been to identify opportunities to provide facilities for expanding education, library and dining functions whilst consolidating at the collegiate heart of the Inn. We have taken a heritage-led approach to the project, with sensitive additions and alterations to enhance the character and setting of the Inn and its unique buildings.
Sensitive conservation and restoration
The realisation of the project at Lincoln’s Inn has required a great quantity and variety of works to the existing listed buildings and to individual elements of their fabric, and has demonstrated MICA’s in-house conservation expertise.
The work to the Great Hall includes sensitive refurbishments of the Grade II* Listed fabric and reinstating the original ceremonial entrance and improving accessibility throughout the building. The refurbished building provides improved banqueting and dining facilities in the Great Hall and rejuvenated events spaces that improve the Inn’s offering for a wide variety of events. The works bring the building up to modern standards with the introduction of underfloor heating, new production kitchens, drainage and waterproofing and new energy efficient mechanical systems.
An ambitious hidden extension
The Ashworth Centre provides significant additional floor space for education and conferencing through excavation adjacent to the Great Hall which is largely unseen from within the grounds of the Inn. Below ground, light filled, modern teaching facilities will give the Inn much-needed additional space, something that was once considered impossible within the historic setting of the Inn.
A future phase will provide an extension of the Inn’s administration and library facilities through replacement of an existing, lower quality building with a more sensitive and efficient addition.
Watch this space for more on the new Ashworth Centre and MICA’s future phases of work at the Inn…..
“MICA have worked very hard to provide a fully designed suite of buildings for The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn. These have been sympathetically designed to sit in a Conservation Area surrounded almost exclusively by historic listed buildings. Work to the Grade II* Listed Great Hall has sat alongside state of the art basement extensions and above ground works. The Architects are nearing the end of a very technically challenging Construction phase, and have provided excellent service throughout."
Philip Ardley, Programme Director
