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.

Explore our available funding

Brunel's SS Great Britain in the dry dock. Photo: Adam Gasson / SS Great Britain Trust.

Stories

Case study: SS Great Britain – Voyage to Carbon Neutral

The SS Great Britain Trust's innovative decarbonising of the conservation system for the world's first iron ship jointly won Sustainable Project of the Year at the Museums + Heritage Awards.

Donaghadee Harbour.

Projects

Sir Samuel Kelly Lifeboat commemorated with exhibition space in Donaghadee

Donaghadee Heritage has secured £90,000 to bring the story of the lifeboat and the town's history to life.

26/06/2023

Alison Kay, National Railway Museum’s Archives Manager and Ashlynn Welburn, Oral History Project Archivist at Eurostar.

Projects

People, Pride and Progress: recording the histories of LGBTQ+ railway workers

Through the collection of real-life stories, this project aims to spotlight the LGBTQ+ community’s contribution to the railways for the first time.

11/04/2023

Illustrated map showing 58 UK UNESCO sites

The UNESCO illustrated map, showing 58 heritage sites across the UK.

Projects

UNESCO launch a new illustrated map of the UK’s top heritage sites

Designed by Birmingham-based creative cartographer Tom Woolley, the map shows all 58 sites, cities and natural landscapes, helping to bring to life the huge variety of heritage on people’s doorsteps.

13/07/2022

Conservators from the National Museum of the Royal Navy with the polar Kellett sledge flag

News

Rare polar sledge flag used in search for Franklin’s doomed expedition saved for the UK

The National Museum of the Royal Navy's campaign to save a rare polar expedition sledge flag has been successful, thanks to National Lottery funding.

22/05/2023

Two Skylark IX volunteers work on building a wooden rowing boat

Two Skylark IX volunteers honing their boatbuilding skills

Stories

Recovery and resilience: advice from a heritage project improving skills and wellbeing

In Dumbarton, Scotland, The Skylark IX Recovery Trust is preserving a Second World War rescue ship through heritage training opportunities to support local people, including those recovering from drug addiction.

A group of people including children turn Bourn Windmill

Visitors turning Bourn Windmill. Photo: Cambridgeshire ACRE

News

From facing collapse to welcoming visitors: the UK’s oldest windmill reopens

Bourn Mill in Cambridgeshire - which dates from the reign of King Henry VIII - reopened to the public on National Mills Weekend.

16/05/2023

A car crosses the Union Chain Bridge, a small restored suspension bridge over a river.

The Union Chain Bridge reopens to traffic following major restoration project.

News

Oldest vehicle suspension bridge in the world reopens

This World Heritage Day we celebrate the reopening of the iconic Union Chain Bridge that has connected England and Scotland for 202 years.

18/04/2023

Photograph of two women holding up a flag while standing on a boat.

Projects

Shefarers: Platforming untold stories of Suffolk’s women maritime workers

Women of the Seven Seas aims to transform a historic sailing barge into a participatory research hub, where ‘Shefarers’ contribute stories of living and working on the water.

22/03/2023

Crystal Palace Park

News

More than £24million awarded to heritage projects across the UK

From John O’Groats to Penzance, across Wales and Northern Ireland, we’re supporting the protection and conservation of parks, built heritage, memories and more.

28/03/2023

Colourful illustration of water works building with celebration fireworks drawn by Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake's illustration of the Engine House building, the new home of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. Credit: Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration.

Projects

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration

Historic waterworks are to become the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration thanks to over £3.75million in funding.

29/11/2022

People in period costumes with children in front of an old train

Tour guides at the Foyle Valley Railway and Transport Museum posing with visitors. Credit: Destined

Stories

Why you should involve people with lived experience in your heritage project

An interpretive centre run by people with learning disabilities is showcasing Derry/Londonderry’s historic railway heritage and highlighting the importance of inclusion.