Industrial, maritime and transport

Industrial, maritime and transport

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.

HMS Caroline
HMS Caroline

Projects

HMS Caroline

This project supported the transformation of HMS Caroline into a high-quality visitor attraction that tells the story of life on board the ship in times of war and peace.

'Jubilee' class steam locomotive - 45596 Bahamas
'Jubilee' class steam locomotive - 45596 Bahamas

Projects

'Jubilee' class steam locomotive - 45596 Bahamas

Our £780,800 grant will help restore a famous main-line steam locomotive based on the Keighley and the Worth Valley Railway.

People on a canal boat
The Canal College crew

Projects

Canal College

The Scottish Waterways Trust’s Canal College project helped young people and their local canal heritage.

The Command of the Oceans new building
The Command of the Oceans new building

Projects

Command of the Oceans

Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust led on a project to redevelop and transform the visitor experience at the Historic Dockyard.

A man teaches a young woman
A volunteer helps a young person learn engineering skills

Projects

Blyth's Ship Building Heritage

In just four years, Blyth Tall Ship grew from a germ of an idea and a patch of derelict quayside land, to an inspiring start-up business supporting boatbuilding skills.

Abbeydale Hamlet, Sheffield
Abbeydale Hamlet, Sheffield

Projects

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet - A Working and Sustainable Future

Sheffield’s long association with industry and trades is epitomised at the important site of Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet. The site has been restored to its former glory with improved interactive interpretation to share its fascinating story more widely.

Inside the SS Nomadic

Projects

SS Nomadic & Hamilton dock development

SS Nomadic, the tender vessel to the Titanic and the last remaining White Star Line ship in the world, was restored and opened as a visitor attraction in the Titanic Quarter in Belfast.

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