Mrs Smith’s Cottage is set to be brought back to life, giving people the chance to sample life in early 20th century Lincolnshire, thanks to National Lottery Players.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the largest heritage funder in the UK, has confirmed a second stage grant of £403,800 to enable the project to continue and the restoration to take place.
North Kesteven District Council, owners of the cottage in Navenby, had to close the site to visitors in 2012 with concerns over its structural safety.
In 2016, the authority was fortunate enough to receive a first stage grant from HLF to allow exploratory works to take place to discover the extent of the damage to the roof in particular and allow a proposal to be formulated about how the cottage could be restored effectively and become a successful visitor attraction once again.
Now the second stage funding has been approved, the restoration, made possible thanks to National Lottery, will be able to continue, with a re-opening expected to take place in late 2019.
Councillor Richard Wright, Leader of NKDC, said: “The restoration of Mrs Smith’s Cottage would not be able to happen without the Heritage Lottery Fund, so we’re extremely grateful to them for seeing the potential the restoration has and how important the site is to not only the District, but far beyond.
“Mrs Smith’s Cottage offers a unique insight into life in Lincolnshire in the early 1900s and through her carefully preserved diaries we know what she enjoyed doing, how she decorated her home and how it was in Navenby at that time. It’s important all of this is made available for generations to come.”
Jonathan Platt, Head of HLF East Midlands, said: “This is a delightful project that brings back into use a community’s treasured local museum. We are very pleased to have supported it, thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players.”