Industrial, maritime and transport
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.
News
Mining Institute hits gold
A total of £8.6million in National Lottery grants will preserve UK’s industrial heritage, from Newcastle’s Mining Institute to Sherwood Forest’s industrial past
News
Getting up close and personal with Welsh history at St Fagans
During a recent visit to St Fagans National Museum of History, HLF Chief Executive Ros Kerslake and the Head of HLF in Wales, Richard Bellamy, helped put some finishing touches to a new display.
News
Newport Gun Girls and Girl Guides' film goes international
An animated film about the Newport Gun Girls will be shown at international film festivals around the world this year.
News
Porthcawl’s Old Pilot’s Lookout Tower restored thanks to National Lottery support
The lively beach, fishing scene and high tidal ranges at popular Welsh tourist destination Porthcawl provide a challenging set of circumstances for emergency and rescue teams.
News
Porthcawl’s Old Pilot’s Lookout Tower hits search and rescue milestone
Thanks to National Lottery players, Porthcawl’s Old Pilot’s Lookout Tower has been given a new lease of life.
Stories
Changing lives: instilling confidence in Port Talbot teens
A project examining Richard Burton’s diaries gave young people in Port Talbot pride in Wales, in their town, and in themselves.
News
A new horizon for ‘Iron Mad Jack’s’ Welsh ironworks
The former Brymbo Iron and Steel Works and Fossil Forest takes its first step towards regeneration, thanks to the National Lottery.
News
Ironworks of pioneer industrialist ‘Iron Mad Jack’ move closer towards regeneration
The former Brymbo Iron and Steel Works, and Fossil Forest will receive a National Lottery grant to transform it into a major visitor attraction.
News
Thumbs up for restoration of rare D-Day landing craft
Nearly £5m National Lottery investment in restoration of LCT 7074 which will then be displayed at the D-Day Museum in Portsmouth.
News
Heritage and culture at the heart of Wales' great places
£1.5million National Lottery investment to promote a partnership approach to regeneration in Wales.
News
Valley’s mining heritage steals the limelight
A new exhibition unveiled this weekend at the South Wales Miners Museum in Port Talbot was visited by locally born Hollywood star Michael Sheen, who went back to his Port Talbot roots to see first hand how the museum is bringing mining history into the 21st century.
Projects
Keeping Britain Afloat
The memories of Chatham Port Division veterans from the Second World War were recorded and interpreted for future generations.