Industrial, maritime and transport
![two people pulling a rope on a historic ship, with a river estuary in the background](/sites/default/files/styles/main_image_desktop/public/media/imgs/pioneer_sailing_trust_14_credit_megan_taylor_2.jpg.webp?itok=k48z6blU)
Since 1994 we have awarded £630million to 1,600 industrial, maritime and transport projects across the UK.
We want to help more people conserve their local industrial heritage and pass on skills to younger generations.
What do we support?
Projects we fund include:
- printing presses
- pumping engines
- windmills
- historic ships
- locomotives
- natural landscapes transformed by industry
Project ideas
Our funding could help people:
- uncover and record people’s memories of our industrial past
- give a disused site a new purpose
- restore and maintain operating machinery
- reveal the history of industry in your area
- explore the nation's network of canals
- provide staffed visitor facilities and learning resources
- help young people learn new skills and care for their heritage
See the stories and projects below for more inspiration.
How to get funding
If you have an idea for a project, we would love to hear from you.
![the courtyard of the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, north Wales, with stone factory buildings surrounding a courtyard with industrial equipment for processing slate, and the slate mine visible in the background](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/national_slate_museum_llanberis_yard_view.jpg.webp?itok=7aqlc4Fc)
Projects
Unearthing the legacy of Welsh Slate at Amgueddfa Lechi Cymru – National Slate Museum
The museum will be transformed into a world-class visitor attraction at the heart of the Wales Slate Landscape in north west Wales.
![Two people pull a rope on the deck of a historic sailing vessel](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/pioneer_sailing_trust-9_web.jpg.webp?itok=WF-U6wXB)
News
£14.8million awarded to projects forging the future of our industrial past
![a ruined stone windmill building in the countryside](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/saintfield_community_heritage_park_mill_site.jpg.webp?itok=nJS9uY1C)
Projects
Transforming Saintfield’s Windmill Field into a community heritage park
A National Lottery windfall for Saintfield Community Association will provide much needed free-to-access green space in the historic County Down village.
![Ted, owner of Etty & Tyler along with his sons Ted at his shop in Forest Gate](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/042_et_1_0.jpg.webp?itok=yU5ejCCm)
Projects
Full Cycle: a history of cycling in Forest Gate
This project will look at the cycling history of Forest Gate in Newham – an important cycling epicentre in the late 19th century close to Epping Forest.
![Donaghadee Harbour with a lighthouse and a number of boats.](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/donaghadee_harbour.jpg.webp?itok=DUn61su_)
Projects
Sir Samuel Kelly Lifeboat commemorated with exhibition space in Donaghadee
Donaghadee Heritage has secured £90,000 to bring the story of the lifeboat and the town's history to life.
Projects
People, Pride and Progress: recording the histories of LGBTQ+ railway workers
Through the collection of real-life stories, this project aims to spotlight the LGBTQ+ community’s contribution to the railways for the first time.
![A car crosses the Union Chain Bridge as it reopens to traffic following major restoration project A car crosses the Union Chain Bridge, a small restored suspension bridge over a river.](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/union_chain_bridge_car_crossing_-_web_resize.jpg.webp?itok=T_XqVO1L)
News
Oldest vehicle suspension bridge in the world reopens
![Photograph of two women holding up a flag while standing on a boat.](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/untitled_design_9.png.webp?itok=CdlhdZHG)
Projects
Shefarers: Platforming untold stories of Suffolk’s women maritime workers
Women of the Seven Seas aims to transform a historic sailing barge into a participatory research hub, where ‘Shefarers’ contribute stories of living and working on the water.
![Museums and Heritage sign at the awards ceremony](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/museums-and-heritage-awards.jpg.webp?itok=GQbsHOeF)
News
Six organisations shortlisted for Sustainable Project of the Year 2024
News
Hundreds of special heritage offers across the UK this spring
![Helen Featherstone, Director of England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund A head and shoulders image of Helen Featherstone](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/helen_featherstone_headshot_c_roth_reed_photography.jpg.webp?itok=8mMqumzP)
Blogs
A year as Director of England, North: resilience and saving heritage
![People dancing as part of a cultural festival at the Birmingham Commonwealth games](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_large/public/media/imgs/MicrosoftTeams-image_0.png.webp?itok=aYOLxLtj)
Programme
National Lottery Heritage Grants £10,000 to £250,000
![Aerial view of Plymouth's coast, with the lighthouse and lido in view](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_large/public/media/imgs/landing-blocks/plymouth-marine-park.jpg.webp?itok=UbKIOIpy)
Programme
National Lottery Heritage Grants £250,000 to £10million
Projects
On track to tell the community’s stories of a Highland railway station
Blair Atholl station opened in 1863, as the development of rail travel opened up the Highlands to visitors and created new opportunities for local people.
Projects
Restoring the last remaining tenter frames in England
Led by Otterburn Mill, this project will carefully restore a relic from the textile industry to its former glory.
![School for Social Entrepreneurs: Heritage Trade Up residential event Three people are looking at worksheets and smiling.](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/sse_photography_-_residential_2.jpg.webp?itok=k1NNww-_)
Stories
Five tips for more robust and innovative heritage organisations
![Leas Lift, Folkestone An aerial view of Leas Lift on the cliff edge with town buildings above](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/leas-lift-aerial-chris-gorman.jpg.webp?itok=tdegyVxi)
News
£4.8million funding boost to revive Folkestone Leas Lift
![Brunel's SS Great Britain in the dry dock.](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/ss_great_britain_-_exterior_cropped.jpg.webp?itok=iBLPSJQe)
Stories
Case study: SS Great Britain – Voyage to Carbon Neutral
![Illustrated map showing 58 UK UNESCO sites Illustrated map showing 58 UK UNESCO sites](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/untitled-1.png.webp?itok=BAPIgUW5)
Projects
UNESCO launch a new illustrated map of the UK’s top heritage sites
Designed by Birmingham-based creative cartographer Tom Woolley, the map shows all 58 sites, cities and natural landscapes, helping to bring to life the huge variety of heritage on people’s doorsteps.
![Conservators from the National Museum of the Royal Navy with the polar Kellett sledge flag Conservators from the National Museum of the Royal Navy with the polar Kellett sledge flag](/sites/default/files/styles/hlf_xlarge/public/media/imgs/conservators_from_the_national_museum_of_the_royal_navy_with_the_polar_kellett_sledge_flag_saved_from_being_sold_abroad._credit_nmrn_0.jpg.webp?itok=ISAmzPsN)
News