Industrial, maritime and transport
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.
Projects
Anderton Boat Lift Restoration
The Anderton Boat Lift has been brought back to life, with modern systems that respect its historic structure and significance.
Projects
Great Orme Tramway - Half Way Station & Engineering Works
This ambitious project to refurbish the only remaining cable-hauled street tramway in the UK has helped to preserve the heritage attraction for generations to come.
Projects
Gosport Milestones Heritage Trail
The history and natural heritage of Gosport was captured in this trail, connecting the local community to its surrounding environment.
Projects
The Right Track
The Right Track allowed young people to come together in a range of exciting outdoor activities whilst exploring the importance of railway and mining heritage in the North East.
Projects
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon canal benefited from one of our biggest grants - £25million - to restore and protect the 200-year-old waterway.
Projects
Regeneration and resilience at Cornwall's china clay mining museum
Wheal Martyn is home to the UK’s only china clay mining museum. A fully accredited museum, Wheal Martyn cares for and presents a collection of industry-related objects, machinery, photographs and archives.
Projects
Pilot Gig Restoration - Heritage Craft at Newquay Harbour
Volunteers from Newquay Rowing Club worked alongside specialist boat builders to restore three of the country’s oldest pilot gigs using traditional skills.
Projects
Across the Minch: Traditional Boatbuilding in Uist & Wester Ross
The Grimsay Boatshed and Am Bàta received a Skills for the Future grant to provide traditional boatbuilding workshops to local schools.
Projects
Keeping History Afloat - Traditional Boat-Building Skills for the Future
The funding will further the work at the Heritage Boatyard, training more people in the necessary heritage skills so they can help conserve the historic collection.
Projects
Wheal Peevor Project
This project allowed essential heritage restoration works to be carried out in Wheal Peevor, a key element of the Cornish Mining UNESCO World Heritage site.
Projects
The story of the North East's Lumber Jills
During the Second World War thousands of women joined the Women's Land Army to help the war effort and replace men who had joined the armed forces. This 18-month project enabled local people to discover one part of this story near Newcastle.
Projects
Powerhouse, Bradford Industrial Museum
This project was designed to extend Bradford Industrial Museum’s educational and outreach work.