Constructed as the Great Central Goods and Grain Warehouse by the Great Central Railway in 1907, the decline in rail traffic meant the building was sold by British Rail in 1967.

After its sale the building was used as a builders’ merchants but was vacated in 1998 and left to decay until it was purchased by a property developer with plans to convert the upper floors into penthouse apartments.

These plans were never realised and the former warehouse was subsequently brought by the University of Lincoln in 2003, converting it into a new library for the campus which opened in September 2004.

The timber loading bays that once could be found on the side of the building facing the engine shed have been sympathetically replaced with Trent charcoal and glass extensions.

The word “library” is now painted between “Great”, “Central”, and “Warehouse” where all the buildings previous uses have been painted.

The conversion was designed by the University’s architectural team lead by Nigel Stevenson and has been given awards from RIBA and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

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