Industrial, maritime and transport | The National Lottery Heritage Fund

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Three people stand inside a factory casting a large bell. Molten metal pours from a container held in the air by a hoist

Casting a bell at Taylor's Bellfoundry. Photo: Katelyn Collins.

Celebrating the innovative buildings, transport and technology that helped shape the modern world.

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.

Explore our available funding

An arial view of Crystal Palace Park, including the dinosaurs

Crystal Palace Park

News

More than £24million awarded to heritage projects across the UK

From John O’Groats to Penzance, across Wales and Northern Ireland, we’re supporting the protection and conservation of parks, built heritage, memories and more.

28/03/2023

Colourful illustration of water works building with celebration fireworks drawn by Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake's illustration of the Engine House building, the new home of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. Credit: Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration.

Projects

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration

Historic waterworks are to become the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration thanks to over £3.75million in funding.

29/11/2022

People in period costumes with children in front of an old train

Tour guides at the Foyle Valley Railway and Transport Museum posing with visitors. Credit: Destined

Stories

Why you should involve people with lived experience in your heritage project

An interpretive centre run by people with learning disabilities is showcasing Derry/Londonderry’s historic railway heritage and highlighting the importance of inclusion.

Person smiling at camera with boat in the background

Videos

Clive Gray is the National Lottery Awards Heritage Winner for 2022

Clive Gray’s National Lottery Award recognises his incredible leadership of Blyth Tall Ship, which changes lives through maritime heritage skills training, volunteering and experiences.

Dockside buildings under a blue sky

London International Cruise Terminal and Riverside Station, Tilbury, by David Anstiss, licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0

Projects

Back on Track: Tilbury Riverside Station

This project will restore and celebrate the Grade II* listed Tilbury Cruise Terminal, where the Empire Windrush docked in 1948 to bring Commonwealth citizens to the UK.

08/06/2022

The First Light Pavilion at Jodrell Bank (right had side) with the Lovell telescope in the background (left hand side)

The Lovell Telescope and the First Light Pavilion at Jodrell Bank.

News

Out of this world: Jodrell Bank's First Light Pavilion set to open

The First Light Pavilion at Jodrell Bank opens this Saturday thanks to £12.5million raised by National Lottery players – the state-of-the-art attraction is a must-see for 2022.

31/05/2022

Two workmen standing either side of the horse-drawn ambulance

News

Revamped North Yorkshire museum reveals new name

Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum in North Yorkshire to be renamed Land of Iron when it reopens in autumn 2022.

07/04/2022

Exterior view of Silverburn Flax Mill

News

Community at heart of Silverburn Flax Mill revival

The much-loved mill is at the centre of a five-year project, set to receive £3.47million from the Heritage Fund.

11/02/2022

A group of people posing for a photo

Projects

Waterway Heritage Skills

The Canal & River Trust’s Waterways Heritage Skills Project created a pool of committed and skilled young people in waterway heritage skills, filling skills gaps within the Trust’s own workforce and the wider heritage sector.

21/05/2013

Steam train with slag heaps

Ffestiniog Railway.

News

Full steam ahead for the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways

North Wales’ largest tourist attraction has secured a £3.1million National Lottery Heritage Fund grant.

15/10/2021

Aerial view of Plymouth coast with lighthouse and dramatic sunrise

Site of the new marine park at Plymouth.

News

Heritage Horizon Awards: £50million to five life-changing projects

We are proud to announce the recipients of our Heritage Horizon Awards. Over £50million of funding has been awarded to five transformational projects across the UK. When we launched the Heritage Horizon Awards in 2019, we set out to fund ideas that unlocked possibility. From innovative farming

13/07/2021

A red and white lighthouse at sunset

Smeaton's Tower.

Projects

Plymouth Sound National Marine Park

We've awarded £11.6million to help create the UK's first National Marine Park, revolutionising the way Plymouth interacts with its marine heritage.

29/06/2021