Areas, buildings and monuments

Areas, buildings and monuments

People walking up steps to a castle with turret
Lincoln Castle. Credit: Colin McLean Photography
Safeguarding our historic buildings, monuments and archaeology for future generations.

Since 1994 we have awarded £3.3billion to more than 10,300 area, historic building and monument projects across the UK.

These projects can help to sustain jobs, support economic growth and protect heritage at risk. They can also bolster local pride, nurture traditional craft skills and help communities enjoy and make use of the places they care about.

What do we support?

Projects we fund include:

  • investment in places of worship
  • conservation and repairs to historic buildings and places
  • finding appropriate new uses for historic buildings
  • community archaeology projects

Places of worship

Places of worship are among the UK’s oldest and most cherished historic buildings. We want to help congregations become truly resilient and their buildings genuinely sustainable.

Project ideas

Our funding could help people:

  • repair and transform a historic building at the heart of their community
  • help volunteers learn building conservation skills
  • rescue a building on a Buildings at Risk register
  • undertake a community archaeology project
  • regenerate a historic town centre or high street
  • look after and learn about a local war memorial

For more inspiration, see the stories below or browse projects we've funded.

How to get funding

Our National Lottery Heritage Grants programme is open for applications.

The Diamond War Memorial
The Diamond War Memorial

Projects

Diamond War Memorial Project

The Holywell Trust led on this project to create a shared public space centred on the War Memorial in the Diamond area of Derry-Londonderry in Northern Ireland.

Exterior of Tuckers Hall Interpretation Centre
Tuckers Hall Interpretation Centre

Projects

Tuckers Hall Conservation

The funding helped to repair and restore the historic fabric of the Grade II* listed building, and supported a new education programme to share the heritage with more people.

Visitors look at books and manuscripts in the collection
A book in the John Rylands Library collection

Projects

John Rylands Library

The Unlocking the Rylands project was launched to conserve the Grade I listed buildings of the John Rylands Library, and its collection.

The exterior of Sandycombe Lodge
The exterior of Sandycombe Lodge

Projects

Restoring Sandycombe Lodge

Sandycombe Lodge, the home of painter JMW Turner, has been fully restored thanks to National Lottery funding.

The Victorian theatre at Alexandra Palace
The restored Victorian theatre at Alexandra Palace

Projects

Alexandra Palace: Reclaiming the People's Palace

The project transformed the eastern end of The People’s Palace, following its founders’ original vision to “entertain, inform and educate”.

Children around Durham Cathedral treasures

Projects

Durham Cathedral: Open Treasure - Phase 1

Durham Cathedral is undertaking a project called Open Treasure – a major development that will transform the way in which the cathedral buildings are experienced, understood and used, both as working buildings and to the benefit of those who visit.

If you query is regarding our application portal, please contact our support team.