Heritage at Risk Capital Fund Projects 2026

Durham County Council will use the funding to make Shildon Railway Institute wind- and watertight through urgent repairs to the roof, dormers, upper windows and rainwater goods. 

The funding will protect the historic building from further deterioration and secure its future as an important local community asset. It will enable the institute to be maintained for continued community use and safeguard a building with an important connection to Shildon’s railway heritage. 

• Listed Grade II
• Grant: £617,905

Hartlepool Borough Council will use the funding to deliver urgent structural works to 8 and 9 Church Street, including internal structural scaffolding, replacement of the gable wall, installation of piles and a ground beam to support the new gable wall, and roof replacement. 

The funding will stabilise and secure the buildings, preventing further deterioration and helping to retain these historic buildings as part of Hartlepool’s historic townscape. 

• Grant: £909,500

Urgent stabilisation and repair works

Blackpool Council will use the funding for the first phase of a wider programme to bring the former Post Office back into use as a community-led cultural and creative hub. The grant will deliver urgent stabilisation, repair and weatherproofing works, including roof and stonework repairs. 

The funding will secure the building and enable the council to progress plans for its future fit-out and operation as a community and cultural venue, providing a base for events, creative activity and community engagement in central Blackpool. 

• Listed Grade II
• Grant: £850,000

Narthex masonry conservation and window fabric protection

Manchester City Council will use the funding to deliver urgent conservation works to the actively deteriorating narthex south façade and Gothic buttresses at Gorton Monastery, a Grade II* Victorian Franciscan monastery designed by Edward Pugin. Works will address brick face loss, salt damage and eroded stonework, as well as repair timber windows and casings to halt water ingress. 

The funding will help secure Gorton Monastery as a thriving community, cultural and events venue, which welcomes more than 65,000 visitors each year and provides a focus for daily community activity. 

• Listed Grade II*
• Grant £348,342

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council will use the funding to deliver urgent capital works to the vacant Prudential Building, addressing structural issues, water ingress, damaged windows and the loss of roof coverings caused by deterioration and vegetation growth. 

The funding will prevent further loss of historic fabric and make the building envelope weather-tight. Alongside the repair works, an options appraisal will establish a sustainable future use for the building, providing the basis for bringing this important historic asset back into productive use. 

• Listed Grade II
• Grant: £1 million

Internal restoration

Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council will use the funding to deliver the next phase of restoration at Prescot Picture Palace, including internal decorative repairs, localised timber flooring repairs, structural repairs and restoration of the projection room, following an earlier phase of roof and elevation repairs. 

The funding will protect the building’s historic interior and support the continued development of the Picture Palace as an important community and cultural asset, helping secure its long-term future as a venue for local cultural activity. 

• Listed Grade II
• Grant: £665,000

Remblance Leisure Ltd will use the funding to stabilise, repair and conserve the Grade II listed Kursaal, addressing failing roof structures, widespread water ingress, blocked rainwater goods, damaged internal areas, external masonry and historic features. 

The funding will make the building weather-tight, structurally secure and safer for increased public access. It will also enable important spaces including the domed entrance, ticket hall and bar to be restored, supporting their return to public use as part of a new entertainment offer and helping secure the Kursaal’s future as a landmark visitor and community asset. 

• Listed Grade II
• Grant: £540,000

Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk will use the funding to bring the vacant Sommerfeld and Thomas Warehouse into a safe, compliant and viable shell condition, capable of future occupation and fit-out through adaptive reuse. The works will safeguard the building’s historic significance while supporting the regeneration of South Quay. 

The funding will enable the warehouse to move towards future occupation and create opportunities for community, wellbeing, cultural or commercial uses. Its conservation will also improve the historic waterfront and support wider regeneration and investment in the area. 

• Listed Grade II
• Grant: £902,632

Bourne Mill connected

The National Trust will use the funding to conserve and repair Bourne Mill, addressing water ingress, failing roof coverings, masonry defects, deteriorating historic joinery and the waterwheel structure through a conservation-led programme of works. 

The funding will safeguard the heritage significance of Bourne Mill and prevent further deterioration, while enabling the site to reopen as a flexible heritage and community resource. This will support public access, learning, volunteering and community participation, as well as opportunities for heritage skills learning through partnerships with educational institutions. 

• Listed Grade I
• Grant: £224,200

Repair and re-use of Burslem Market Hall and Retail Units

Stoke-on-Trent City Council will use the funding to repair and adapt the Grade II listed Burslem Market Hall, which has been redundant since 2003 after being judged unsafe. Works include repairs to the roof structure, timbers and skylights, asbestos removal and repairs to the internal market units and Unit 34 on Queen Street. 

The funding will enable the Market Hall to return to productive commercial and community use. Once restored, it will be able to host themed markets, theatre productions, music and dance performances, festivals and other events, helping establish it as a permanent venue at the heart of Burslem. 

• Listed Grade II
• Grant: £1 million

Saved for the future

South Derbyshire District Council will use the funding for a phased programme of repair, conservation and enabling works to secure the future of the Grade II listed Bretby Art Pottery Showroom. Works will address defective roofing, rainwater goods, structural movement, damp ingress and deterioration to windows and joinery, as well as important historic interior features. 

The funding will secure the building envelope, prevent further loss of original fabric and conserve its nationally significant interiors. It will bring the building back from risk and prepare it for sustainable community use, safeguarding an important part of the area’s pottery heritage for future generations. 

• Listed Grade II
• Grant: £999,405

Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes will use the funding to expand the existing Grimbarians community photography studio into neighbouring historic premises in Grimsby’s Kasbah Conservation Area. The project will create a professional gallery, exhibition and retail space, shared creative offices, rentable studios, larger workshop areas and a publicly accessible photographic darkroom. 

The funding will bring 2 currently unused buildings back into use and enable an expanded programme of exhibitions, workshops and events, including opportunities for schools, emerging creatives and the Humberlands Photography Festival. The project will create a lasting cultural and community asset while contributing to the wider regeneration of Great Grimsby. 

• Grant: £567,601

Wymering Manor: north west corner

Portsmouth City Council will use the funding to deliver urgent conservation works to the north-west corner of Wymering Manor, repairing and stabilising the north gable wall and associated timber frame. The works will address deterioration caused by water ingress, vegetation growth and poor drainage, preventing further loss of historic fabric. 

The funding will enable the currently closed north-west side of the manor, including the drawing room and Queen Emma’s bedroom, to be made safe for future community and commercial use. It will support the longer-term ambition for Wymering Manor to operate as a community and commercial hub, including events, tours and venue hire. 

• Listed Grade II*
• Grant: £180,407

Margate Museum and Old Town Hall capital restoration project

Thanet District Council will use the funding to restore and bring back into use the Grade II listed Margate Museum and Old Town Hall. The works include urgent structural and roof repairs, improvements to mechanical and electrical systems and environmental controls, and accessibility improvements including a passenger lift. 

The funding will enable the museum to better protect and display its collections, improve public access and work towards museum accreditation. It will also enable the vacant Old Town Hall to be adapted for a viable new use. Together, the buildings will provide a more accessible, sustainable and multi-functional community asset in Margate’s Old Town, supporting community activity and local economic regeneration. 

• Listed Grade II
• Grant: £999,000

Regeneration of Newport Guildhall

Isle of Wight Council will use the funding for the first phase of a programme to secure the future of the Grade II* listed Newport Guildhall, which is on Historic England’s Register of Buildings at Risk. The first phase will deliver urgent high-level repairs to the roof and rainwater management systems, helping to halt water ingress and prevent further damage to the historic fabric. 

The funding will secure the building and provide the foundation for later phases of repair and improvement. The wider programme will support the development of a new programme of community activity and exhibitions in partnership with the Museum of Island Life and Isle of Wight Youth Trust, co-produced with local people. 

• Listed Grade II*
• Grant: £749,891

Hastings Castle restoration project

Hastings Borough Council will use the funding to deliver urgent conservation and capital repair works to Hastings Castle, a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument of national importance. Works will include stabilising vulnerable sections of the curtain walls, conserving the tower wall, chapel arch and Collegiate Church remains, repairing the Ladies’ Parlour Wall and addressing vegetation, masonry defects and other vulnerable historic features. 

The funding will improve public safety and accessibility, replace temporary safety measures with permanent conservation solutions and help secure the monument for continued public access and its long-term future. 

• Scheduled monument 1043579
• Grant: £288,500

Banqueting hall and east tower

Torbay Council will use the funding to stabilise the banqueting hall and east tower at Oldway Mansion, which are currently vacant and in considerable disrepair. Works include careful dismantling and rebuilding of the boundary wall, temporary propping of the banqueting hall and provision of a temporary roof cover to the partially dismantled east tower. 

The funding will prevent further decay and collapse and enable future conservation works to be undertaken safely. It will also help protect the wider Oldway Mansion complex and parkland, supporting its longer-term restoration and future public use.

• Listed Grade II
• Grant: £825,000

A future for the Fleece

Gloucester City Council will use the funding to undertake surveys, conservation planning and capital repairs to the Fleece complex, including repairs to the Westgate Range roof and parapet gutters. An options appraisal and programme of stakeholder and community engagement will also establish a sustainable future use for the site. 

The funding will improve the condition and resilience of the historic buildings, bring individual spaces closer to use and provide the evidence and plans needed to progress further restoration and additional funding. It will help establish a long-term plan for the sustainable reuse of the wider complex.

• Listed Grade I
• Grant: £261.500

Rebirth of the Folk

Gloucester Civic Trust will use the funding to stabilise and restore the Pin Factory Annexe and bring currently unused historic space back into regular community use. Works include stabilising the rear building, replacing connecting timber joists, creating seating areas and repairing and upgrading mechanical and electrical installations. 

The funding will enable the restored spaces to support heritage craft work, displays, creative activity, community events and visitors, including a seating and bar area connected to the courtyard, garden and café. The project will expand the Folk of Gloucester’s heritage and community offer while preserving an important part of the city’s industrial history. 

• Listed Grade II

The Moor Imagination Centre

The project will safeguard the future of the Grade II listed former Buckfastleigh Methodist Church through urgent repairs and improvements, including repairs to historic sash windows and the portico, replacement of the main roof, repairs to roof timbers and the external façade, and improvements to fire safety and accessibility. 

The funding will enable the Moor Imagination Centre to increase the capacity and usability of the building, including bringing the gallery area above the main hall into use. It will help secure the building’s financial viability as a community hub and support continued community activity, connection and wellbeing in Buckfastleigh. 

• Listed Grade II
• Grant: £411,000