Areas, buildings and monuments

Areas, buildings and monuments

People walking up steps to a castle with turret
Lincoln Castle. Credit: Colin McLean Photography
Safeguarding our historic buildings, monuments and archaeology for future generations.

Since 1994 we have awarded £3.2billion to 10,200 area, historic building and monument projects across the UK.

These projects can help to sustain jobs, support economic growth and protect heritage at risk. They can also bolster local pride, nurture traditional craft skills and help communities enjoy and make use of the places they care about.

What do we support?

Projects we fund include:

  • investment in places of worship
  • conservation and repairs to historic buildings and places
  • finding appropriate new uses for historic buildings
  • community archaeology projects

Places of worship

Places of worship are among the UK’s oldest and most cherished historic buildings. We want to help congregations become truly resilient and their buildings genuinely sustainable.

Project ideas

Our funding could help people:

  • repair and transform a historic building at the heart of their community
  • help volunteers learn building conservation skills
  • rescue a building on a Buildings at Risk register
  • undertake a community archaeology project
  • regenerate a historic town centre or high street
  • look after and learn about a local war memorial

For more inspiration, see the stories below or browse projects we've funded.

How to get funding

Our National Lottery Heritage Grants programme is open for applications.

People sitting in a sunny park, near a bandstand
Pearson Park in Kingston upon Hull

Hub

Thriving Places

We are committed to supporting heritage projects that create better places to live, work and visit.
An aerial view of Albert Avenue outdoor swimming pool in Hull
Albert Avenue outdoor swimming pool in Hull.

Projects

A lido revolution: championing outdoor swimming

The Pooling Resources project, led by Future Lidos, has developed and delivered a digital toolkit to support the revival of lidos across the UK.

The interior of the Great Hall at Rochdale Town Hall, with decorative ceiling panels and gold angel statues held by wooden beams.
The Great Hall, Rochdale Town Hall.

Projects

Rochdale Town Hall restored to its former glory

This project has improved the condition of one of the UK’s finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture, and opened up spaces to the public for the first time.

The outside of a stone English parish church with a graveyard in the foreground
The church of St Mary the Virgin in Stebbing, Essex. Credit: John Salmon.

Projects

The Way Forward: St Mary’s Church, Stebbing

At the church of St Mary the Virgin in Stebbing, Essex, a programme of major repairs and improvement will remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register and create an inviting community hub.