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 £660million to 1,700 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.
Martha having a costume fitting
Projects
Foyle Valley Transport and Railway Museum
Disability charity Destined Ltd are improving access to the Foyle Valley Railway Museum.
Stories
Full steam ahead for Merseyside ship following emergency grant
Built in 1913, Steam Tug Kerne served as a Royal Navy ship in the First World War and is the only remaining operational steam tug of her type in the UK. But the sudden hit of coronavirus (COVID-19) meant the Kerne’s days on the water were numbered. Since her retirement as a working vessel, this coal
Trainee Scott Dixon
News
Blyth Tall Ship kept afloat thanks to National Lottery funding
Blyth Tall Ship was awarded £37,100 from our Heritage Emergency Fund, ensuring that workshops and training opportunities could carry on. The organisation provides young people with invaluable engineering skills through heritage boat building. “We knew we were a vital lifeline for those looking for
Undergrowth, Isle of Wight Railway. Credit: John Faulkner
News
Heritage railways saved from 'serious jeopardy'
There is a light at the end of the tunnel for heritage railways stopped in their tracks by the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.
S.E.5e biplane
News
Great War Aerodrome staves off ruin thanks to emergency funding
Our Heritage Emergency Fund is helping to ensure Europe's last remaining operational First World War aerodrome will live to fight another day.
News
£13.6million National Lottery boost for Hull's maritime heritage
800 years of Hull’s maritime history to be placed at heart of its future thanks to "game-changer" regeneration plans.
News
25 years: restoring the prosperity and pride of Blaenavon
Blaenavon: a community reborn Perched high on a South Wales hillside, Blaenavon is a community forged from the heat, smoke and dust of the Industrial Revolution. Its ironworks and coal pit provided the majority of the town’s residents with employment until 1980. The town's shops, churches, chapels
News
25 years: voices from Blaenavon
For over a quarter of a century, The National Lottery has been a major catalyst to revive and regenerate communities across the UK through heritage. We visited Blaenavon to see how National Lottery funding has helped this once beleaguered post-industrial town revive its fortunes and restore its
Blogs
How working internationally can boost tourism for heritage organisations
The Historic Dockyard Chatham has always worked internationally, but on a relatively small scale. We stepped this up considerably in 2017 through our project commemorating the 350th anniversary of the Medway Raid. The Medway Raid - a history It was 1667, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. The Dutch
News
Future of the historic Union Chain Bridge secured
For 200 years the Union Chain Bridge has crossed the River Tweed, connecting Fishwick in Scotland to Horncliffe in England. Thanks to National Lottery funding, crucial repair works beginning early next year will ensure this link continues. To celebrate the cross-border project, His Royal Highness
News
The first six months: our Strategic Funding Framework
2019 has been an exciting year for The National Lottery Heritage Fund. In January we changed our name and branding, and with it the way we work and distribute our grants. We now have open programmes of funding for all kinds of heritage, from £3,000 up to £5million. In June we launched the Heritage
News
Ways to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing
One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind, and a host of heritage events to celebrate the occasion!