Industrial, maritime and transport
SS Great Britain, Bristol.
Celebrating the innovative buildings, transport and technology that helped shape the modern world.
Since 1994 we have awarded over £630million to more than 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.
TR Locomotive No.1 'Talyllyn'. Credit: Luke Ryan.
News
Our £3.7million investment is helping Talyllyn Railway preserve treasured transport heritage
Thanks to National Lottery players, the iconic North Wales railway will continue to inspire and connect people for generations to come.
Tours of Boston Lodge help visitors understand the site's heritage. Photo: Chris Parry.
Stories
Grantee Q&A: setting out your project vision and adapting to succeed
We asked Ffestiniog Railway Company’s General Manager Paul Lewin and Project Manager Edwina Bell about how they delivered the restoration of Boston Lodge, the world’s oldest continuously operating railway engineering works.
A training session with the volunteers. Credit: St Giles Trust.
Projects
Empowering volunteers at Aberdulais Falls
A new community hub is boosting heritage and employability skills at Neath Port Talbot’s historic tinworks and waterfall.
Visitors at Windermere Jetty Museum, which is offering free entry as part of the week. Credit: Tom Arran.
News
Special offers and free entry to heritage attractions this spring
National Lottery Open Week is running from Saturday 7 to Sunday 15 March 2026, with hundreds of heritage venues getting involved.
A model of HMS Erebus. Credit: Pembroke Dock Heritage Trust.
Projects
Bringing the 200-year story of HMS Erebus back to Pembrokeshire
Artefacts from the ill-fated polar exploration vessel will be displayed for the first time at the ship’s birthplace at Pembroke Dock.
Talyllyn Railway. Credit: Nathan Spence, 2026.
Projects
Building the future of Talyllyn Railway
Talyllyn is protecting much-loved industrial heritage and strengthening a volunteer movement that pioneered railway preservation.
Belfast Historic Waterfront at sunset. Photo: Maritime Belfast Trust.
Stories
We're investing in places to bring communities together and unlock the potential of heritage
Explore how our Heritage Places strategic initiative is supporting adaptive, collaborative approaches that meet unique local needs.
Newham Heritage Month events celebrated the intangible cultural heritage of the borough's communities including Bharatnatham dance. Credit: K J Martin.
News
Celebrating the stories of London boroughs
From Kingston to Barnet, we’ve supported communities across the area to connect with the diverse heritage on their doorstep.
Preventing acts of criminal damage to heritage sites is a critical concern. Photo: Gordon Leggett, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Stories
Crime, AI and innovation: what our heritage sector surveys revealed in 2025
Our new UK Heritage Pulse research investigates the impact of crime on heritage settings. It’s the latest insight from our conversations to understand the views and experiences of our sector.
Blyth Tall Ship has created inspiring volunteer opportunities in the north east. Photo: Colin McLean Photography.
Stories
Grantee Q&A: the importance of collaborating, learning and adapting
We asked grantees from the Highlands to the Midlands to share their reflections and advice on the different stages of their journey with us – from application, through delivery, to evaluation.
Volunteers at the Railworld Wildlife Haven. Credit: Railworld Wildlife Haven.
Stories
Case study: Railworld Wildlife Haven’s journey to an award-winning attraction
The joint winner of the Sustainable Project of the Year prize at the Museums + Heritage Awards 2025 shares how they transformed derelict land into a thriving green space.
Exploring Govan Graving Docks with Deirdre Gaughan, Chair of the Central Govan Action Plan, Andy Milne from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Cllr. Ricky Bell, Deputy Leader of Glasgow City Council and Govan Ward councillor. Photo: Peter Devlin.
Projects
A bright future for the Govan Heritage project
We're supporting the next phase of heritage-inspired regeneration in one of Scotland’s most historically significant yet economically disadvantaged urban areas.
Forsinard Flows Nature Reserve, in the Flow Country UNESCO World Heritage Site, Scotland. Photo: Euan Myles / RSPB.
News
80 years of UNESCO: how our funding protects globally important heritage sites
Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we’ve invested more than £1billion in heritage projects of all shapes and sizes throughout the UK’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Biospheres and Geoparks.