Local Heritage and Places of Worship Benefit from Funding Boost
Local heritage and places of worship benefit from over £41m boost to help secure the future of historic places across England.
The funding will support urgent repairs, conservation and essential improvements to historic buildings and places of worship across England, helping to safeguard them for future generations and ensuring they can continue to play an active role in their local communities.
The awards, from the first round of funding for 2026, support 74 projects across England, demonstrating the breadth of government’s investment in the historic environment, from heritage at risk and major historic buildings to churches, cathedrals, synagogues and other places of worship.
23 projects awarded Heritage at Risk Capital Fund grants
Heritage at Risk Capital Fund grants were awarded to 23 projects, including £1 million to support the restoration and re-use of Burslem Market Hall in Stoke-on-Trent, helping to bring the historic market building back into active use, alongside almost £300,000 for urgent conservation work at Hastings Castle.
The Heritage at Risk Capital Fund will also support 3 major national heritage sites with projects designed to keep them preserved for future generations. Dover Castle will benefit from restoration to its inner bailey and defensive fortifications. Brodsworth Hall in Doncaster will receive repairs to its roof to conserve the fabric of the building. Queen Victoria’s summer residence Osborne House on the Isle of Wight will also have repairs to its roof, as well as significant repairs to its masonry.
51 projects supported by grants from the Places of Worship Renewal Fund
Through the Places of Worship Renewal Fund, awards include £732,135 to support the future of St Nicholas’ Church in Dereham, Norfolk and £1 million for St Columba’s (Roman Catholic) Church in Wallsend, alongside projects supporting a range of faiths and denominations, including the Sir Moses Montefiore Memorial Synagogue in the Midlands and the Syro-Malabar (Catholic) Cathedral of St Alphonsa in Preston.
The funding is targeted towards projects facing significant repair and conservation needs and those that can deliver wider benefits for local communities, from keeping valued places open and in use, to supporting community activity, local pride, skills, wellbeing and regeneration.
Nothing tells the stories of our nation quite like the historic buildings at the heart of our communities. But too often they are a far cry from their former glory with leaking roofs and crumbling stonework.
Thanks to this funding, the much loved buildings that fill our hometowns with character will be keeping the doors open to communities for years to come.
Historic places are at the heart of communities across England. They help shape the character and identity of the places we live, work and visit, and provide spaces where people can come together, connect and take part in community life.
Through the first rounds of grants from the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund and Places of Worship Renewal Fund, which we’re proud to steward on behalf of Government, we are investing over £41 million to support 74 projects across England. These grants will support historic buildings and places of worship that face significant repair and conservation needs.
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