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.

Explore our available funding

A person wearing ear protection stands behind brightly coloured threads.

Ribbon Weaver at Wyedean Weaving Company. Credit: Tim Smith.

Projects

Lost Mills and Ghost Mansions

20/02/2025

This oral history project captured the unheard voices of Bradford’s textile mill workers to celebrate the area’s rich industrial heritage.

08/02/2023

Four people stand in front of a train engine and hold a progress pride flag

Joanna Jarvis , Imogen Watmore, Ashlynn Hudson-Welburn and Harvey Barker holding Pride banner in front of HST loco in Great Hall, National Railway Museum, (NRM) York. © The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum.

Stories

Mind the gap: uncovering missing stories from railway history

People, Pride and Progress is recording the experiences of LGBTQ+ workers to explore unheard perspectives on railway heritage.

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

Projects

Saving the UK’s last major bellfoundry

We helped Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust restore and improve the site, secure the future of the historic industry in Britain and redevelop their museum.

25/09/2018

Banners and historic photographs inside the Shipbuilders Gallery.

Inside the new shipbuilding gallery which is showcasing the area's rich heritage. Credit: The Dock Museum.

Projects

Sharing Barrow's past, present and future

27/09/2024

The Dock Museum in Barrow-in-Furness has undergone a major refurbishment to celebrate the area’s rich shipbuilding and engineering heritage.

21/06/2018

A group of people in hard hats and hi-vis jackets standing under Glasgow Meat Market's historic sheds.

Caroline Clark, The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Scotland (centre) with Cllr Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, and representatives of Glasgow Meat Market Regeneration CIC. Credit: Kirsty Anderson

Projects

A thriving community hub is taking shape at Glasgow's Meat Market

Regeneration plans for Glasgow’s former East End Meat Market to become a thriving hub for community, sport and local business have been given a huge boost with the announcement of £2.3million of National Lottery support.

08/09/2021

A boat on a waterway with a bridge in the background and plants visible on the banks of the water

Publications

Understanding the context and needs of the maritime heritage sector

Our new historic ships research is helping us understand the condition and challenges of vessels on the National Historic Fleet and how to effectively target our funding and strategic support.

A group of people outside a heritage building featuring a clock tower at Hopetown Darlington.

Staff from Darlington Borough Council and Hopetown.Darlington at the new visitor attraction. Photo: Ellen Hunter.

Projects

Hopetown: celebrating the North East’s railway heritage

A state-of-the-art visitor attraction and community engagement scheme celebrates the historic Stockton and Darlington railway line.

02/12/2021

Uist Wool now has a skilled group of people, living locally in Uist

Projects

Calanas – transforming textile traditions

Uist Wool Mill is now a vibrant hub of economic activity, skills development and a centre that celebrates the wool-producing heritage of the region.

26/08/2013

A rock walled mineshaft illuminated by torchlight stretched into the distance, in the foreground the silhouette of a person wearing a miners helmet and looking along the tunnel

In Lochnell Mine visitors can experience how Wanlockhead's miners worked. Photo: The National Lottery Heritage Fund/Leyla Webbe.

Projects

Lead turns Gold! The Museum of Lead Mining is 50

Situated at the top of the Mennock Pass the museum is a hub for information, equipment and permits for gold panning in the area.

24/04/2024

A steam train with The National Lottery Heritage Fund acknowledgement stamp on the front

A Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways locomotive.

Projects

Preserving railway heritage and building the future of Boston Lodge

Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’ Boston Lodge Project is keeping the stories, buildings and skills of the heritage railway alive for future generations.

27/11/2019

A group of stonemasons talk to Caroline Clark from the National Lottery Heritage Fund about their craft, discussing models of their work on a table in front of them.

Left to right: stonemasons Jason Boag, Billy King and Ross Cowie, speaking to Caroline Clark, Director of Scotland at the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Credit: Kirsty Anderson.

Projects

Lock 16: Scotland’s centre of excellence for canals and traditional skills

03/04/2025

In a former Irn Bru factory on the Forth and Clyde Canal, an inspirational new centre of learning is being built, to protect the future of Scottish heritage.

04/03/2025

Two young visitors explore the Florence Nightingale Museum, meeting a member of museum staff dressed as Florence in Victorian nurses attire.

Visitors at Florence Nightingale Museum, which is offering free entry as part of the week.

News

Special offers and free entry to heritage attractions this spring

National Lottery Open Week is running from Saturday 15 to Sunday 23 March 2025, with hundreds of heritage venues getting involved.

11/03/2025

A person at an archaeological dig site holds up a piece of stone which has been excavated

DigVentures will engage 4,000 participants to help map archaeological sites and ecological habits in the third phase of its Heritage Innovation Fund project.

News

Heritage organisations to share innovative solutions to workforce challenges

The third phase of our Heritage Innovation Fund is supporting projects across the UK to roll out creative new ways of working.

05/12/2024

A National Lottery scratchcard held in front of a large building with classical architecture and lawn

News

Sign up your project for National Lottery Open Week 2025

It’s a great way to acknowledge your Heritage Fund grant, reach new audiences and benefit from a UK-wide PR campaign.

26/11/2024

Supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in the great outdoors. Photo: Wayfinding project.

Stories

Inclusion, access and participation: eight ways to improve your project’s reach and impact

Find out how projects we’ve funded are finding creative ways to open up heritage, involve audiences and create better opportunities to take part.

An artist kneels in front of a painted wall with an intricate pattern on a purple background

Street artist NeSpoon has created artwork on the streets of Bradford, as part of BD: Walls.

Stories

Celebrating Bradford as the City of Culture 2025

The vibrant West Yorkshire city has announced the first events to showcase its incredible heritage and culture across the district throughout 2025, thanks to National Lottery players.

Two people smiling and sitting on camping chairs on an allotment

The Birmingham Allotment Project participants enjoying their plot. Credit: The Birmingham Allotment Project.

Stories

Protecting the environment: ten ideas for built heritage and community projects

From reducing and reusing materials and eco-friendly websites to a woodland for boatbuilders, these projects show how all types of heritage can make positive changes for our planet.

A crowd of people, some in maritime uniforms, gathered around a ship's hull docked next to harbour buildings. The ship is flying Union Jack flags and nautical bunting.

Britannia in Exeter harbour. Credit: Britannia Sailing Trust.

Projects

Britannia 1915 - Relaunch

Britannia Sailing Trust is keeping maritime heritage alive by restoring a 100-year old ship and paving the way for future boatbuilders.

11/08/2021

A black and white image of children playing in an industrial area.

A photograph from the AmberSide Collection. Photo: Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen.

Projects

Transforming Amber: Building a Resilient Future

This project will safeguard an industrial heritage archive by developing new ways for the Amber Film & Photography Collective to become financially sustainable.

25/04/2024

a ruined stone windmill building in the countryside

The ruins of a windmill dominate Saintfield Community Heritage Park.

Projects

Transforming Saintfield’s Windmill Field into a community heritage park

A National Lottery windfall for Saintfield Community Association will provide much needed free-to-access green space in the historic County Down village.

08/03/2022