Administered on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) by Historic England, 142 sites are receiving support, bolstering local economies and supporting jobs across the country.
From Leicester to Liverpool, Wellington to Wigan much-loved historic places will benefit from an injection of cash for vital repairs and major building programmes, many of which are currently on the national Heritage at Risk Register.
Money from the government’s £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund is intended to open up heritage and the benefits it brings to everyone, helping to level up and improve life and opportunities for people in places that need it most.
Many of the organisations and sites receiving funding enhance wellbeing and community connection, offering education, development opportunities and jobs in some of the most deprived communities hit hard by the impact of the pandemic.
Grant recipients in Cambridgeshire include:
Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill (National Trust) (£40,686)
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Gamlingay (National Churches Trust) (£206,786)
St Giles Church Tadlow (Friends of Friendless Churches) (£337,068)
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: "From local churches to ancient buildings and landscapes, the UK's unique heritage makes our towns, cities and villages stronger, more vibrant and helps bring communities together.
"This latest funding - £35 million from our unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund - will help protect sites including Jane Austen's House and Hampton Court Palace for future generations and help them build back better from the pandemic."
Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s Chief Executive, said: “Funding from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund is hugely welcome at a time when the people and organisations who look after our vast and varied array of heritage urgently need support to carry out essential repairs. Heritage is a fragile eco-system, with an amazing cast of characters who keep our historic places alive, with specialist skills that take time to learn and experience to perfect. These grants will protect their livelihoods, as they use their expertise to help our heritage survive.”
Funding will be awarded to places precious to local communities, including:
Birmingham’s community-run Moseley Road Baths – the oldest surviving Grade II* listed swimming baths currently operating in Britain. A grant of £100,000 will help protect the future of this exceptional historic building where generations of Birmingham children have learned to swim, so it can continue to play an important role in the health and wellbeing of the local population.
Morecambe’s Winter Gardens in Lancashire, run by volunteers through the Winter Gardens Preservation Trust, will receive £209,000 to help bring it back to life for the community.
The Grade II* listed Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich, Essex, one of the oldest surviving purpose-built cinemas in England, will receive more than £151,000 for repairs which will enable it to continue as a community venue, hosting films and live music events.
In Grimsby, West Haven Maltings on the historic town centre waterfront will receive a grant of £100,000 at a critical point in the development of the Horizon Youth Zone. Run by national youth charity OnSide, it will involve over 28,000 young people over the course of the project. Grimsby’s Horizon Youth Zone will provide young people with a safe space where they can develop important life skills, gain confidence and have opportunities to try out new activities.
Hopwood Hall in Rochdale has been vacant and in decline for 30 years but now, thanks to support, is undergoing significant improvements. The grant of £368,000 will stabilise the building’s structure so students, volunteers and the community can safely use the hall.
In Portsmouth, an award of over £207,000 to Fort Purbrook will be used to repair the ironwork bridges, enabling a local children’s charity, The Peter Ashley Activity Centre, to continue offering archery, rock climbing, team activities and heritage tours from the Scheduled Monument.
In Norwich, Grade I listed St Michael Coslany, is a deconsecrated church now home to one of the UK’s leading circus companies, Lost in Translation Circus. The church has remained at the heart of its community by transforming into the Oak Circus Centre, a space for artistic creation, community outreach and education. A grant of £137,500 will be used to repair damage to the building’s historic fabric and also ensure that it can continue to provide social and education activities and contribute to the local economy as a commercial property to hire.
The Murston Old Church in Sittingbourne will use a grant of £108,000 to create a new community arts and heritage centre.
Money from the Heritage Stimulus Fund will also keep our nationally and internationally significant heritage assets in good condition and sustain the skilled craft workforce that looks after them.
The Tower of London, Jane Austen’s House in Hampshire and Muncaster Castle in the Lake District, have been awarded grants through organisations including Historic Royal Palaces and the Historic Houses Foundation.
Funding to major visitor attractions such as Kensington Palace and Leicester Cathedral, where the remains of King Richard III are reburied, is helping to make these attractions as accessible, exciting and inviting to as many people as possible.
A project to install handrails around the Wall Walk at The Tower of London will make navigating the uneven terrain at the centuries-old fortress easier and the site more accessible. At Hampton Court, work on the Little Banqueting Hall and its beautifully painted interior will provide an added attraction for visitors.
The positive power of landscapes, gardens and waterways on mental health and well-being was discovered by many during the pandemic.
A grant of £3 million to the National Trust will fund 15 projects at 12 properties, including helping to bring the Grade II* listed Walled Garden back to life at the Shugborough Estate, in Stafford, and for conservation work on the Sea Walk Wall at Seaton Delaval Hall, Northumberland.
Almost £1.5 million in funding to the Canal and Rivers Trust will pay for repair work on the nation’s waterways. This includes the historic Grade II listed Locks (13 and 15) on the Ashton Canal in inner-city Manchester which has been designated as a country wildlife site.
The latest £35 million funding awards builds on £52 million already allocated from the first round of the Heritage Stimulus Fund, which has supported works at 800 of the country’s treasured heritage assets. This includes Blackpool’s iconic Tower Ballroom, the stunning Georgian landscape at Gibside in Gateshead and the tranquil Thornton-le-Beans Chapel in North Yorkshire.
None of these historic places would have been able to carry out crucial repair work during the pandemic without this support.