Areas, buildings and monuments | The National Lottery Heritage Fund

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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.

Thanks to National Lottery players, since 1994 we have awarded £3.3billion to more than 10,300 area, historic building and monument projects across the UK. See stories from projects we've funded below.

We provide grants for heritage projects from £10,000–£10million to ensure that heritage is valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.

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.

Places of worship we fund

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

How to get funding

Our National Lottery Heritage Grants programme is open for applications.

Find out more and apply

a night-time view of Great Yarmouth's waterfront

Great Yarmouth.

Stories

Case study: heritage supporting revitalisation in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft

Heritage Fund investment has helped kickstart regeneration in the seaside towns with broad economic and social benefits.

Computer render of the refurbished Winter Gardens: and iron and glass building with open spaces, lush plants and visitors.

An artist's impression of the redevelopment plans for the Winter Gardens.

Projects

Great Yarmouth Winter Gardens - Reimagining the People's Palace

Great Yarmouth Borough Council is restoring the UK’s last surviving Victorian ironwork seaside winter gardens.

29/06/2021

An aerial view of Albert Avenue outdoor swimming pool in Hull

Albert Avenue outdoor swimming pool in Hull.

Projects

A lido revolution: championing outdoor swimming

The Pooling Resources project, led by Future Lidos, has developed and delivered a digital toolkit to support the revival of lidos across the UK.

05/12/2022

A family look at a bird nesting box display

RSPB Belfast Window on Wildlife is offering free entry.

News

Hundreds of special heritage offers across the UK this spring

National Lottery Open Week is back, taking place from Saturday 9 to Sunday 17 March.

27/02/2024

A head and shoulders image of Helen Featherstone

Helen Featherstone.

Blogs

A year as Director of England, North: resilience and saving heritage

Our Director of England, North Helen Featherstone reflects on her first year in the role, the needs of heritage organisations in the North and our commitment to supporting resilience.

15/02/2024

The interior of the Great Hall at Rochdale Town Hall, with decorative ceiling panels and gold angel statues held by wooden beams.

The Great Hall, Rochdale Town Hall.

Projects

Rochdale Town Hall restored to its former glory

This project has improved the condition of one of the UK’s finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture, and opened up spaces to the public for the first time.

24/04/2018

The outside of a stone English parish church with a graveyard in the foreground

The church of St Mary the Virgin in Stebbing, Essex. Credit: John Salmon.

Projects

The Way Forward: St Mary’s Church, Stebbing

At the church of St Mary the Virgin in Stebbing, Essex, a programme of major repairs and improvement will remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register and create an inviting community hub.

16/03/2022

A photo of the inside of Leicester Cathedral during a service, taken from a high perspective within the building

Leicester Cathedral reopened for Advent and Christmas services in 2023. Credit: Leicester Cathedral.

Projects

Leicester Cathedral's Journey of Renewal

The Leicester Cathedral Revealed project is blending tradition with innovation to rejuvenate this much-loved place of worship and welcome.

21/03/2017

Detail from a Burne-Jones stained glass window at Birmingham Cathedral showing figures

Detail from a Burne-Jones stained glass window at Birmingham Cathedral. Credit: Birmingham Cathedral.

Projects

Divine Beauty: restoring Birmingham Cathedral's stained glass treasures

Innovative methods of engaging visitors have complemented the restoration of a stunning set of stained glass windows by Birmingham-born Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones.

26/11/2019

Front elevation of The Court House, Bangor building in the evening.

The Court House, Bangor.

Projects

How a derelict building on Bangor’s seafront became Northern Ireland’s newest venue

Thanks to overwhelming community support, Open House turned a former bank and court house in Bangor into a contemporary music venue, saving it from dereliction.

13/03/2018

Georgian houses in Sunderland after restoration by the Tyne and Wear Preservation Trust

Georgian houses in Sunderland after restoration by the Tyne and Wear Preservation Trust.

News

12 towns and cities to benefit from programme to bring disused heritage buildings back to life

Our £5 million partnership with The Architectural Heritage Fund will support local organisations from Cornwall to Caernarfon and Derry/Londonderry to Aberdeenshire.

12/12/2023

A photo taken through a keyhole of a prisoner in a cell, wearing striped black and white clothing.

The museum offers insight into the experiences of prisoners from Victorian times to the modern day. Photo: West Midlands Police Museum.

Projects

The Lock-Up: Unlocking History at West Midlands Police Museum

Our funding has enabled the museum to move into a Victorian custody block, the last of its kind in the country.

27/02/2018