Grants

Celebrating 25 years of the National Lottery

In 2019 the National Lottery celebrated its 25th anniversary. Since the first draw took place on 19 November 1994, more than £40 billion has been raised for good causes.

At English Heritage, our projects have benefited from over £50 million in funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Major projects at places like Stonehenge, Kenwood, Wrest Park, Walmer Castle and Marble Hill House wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the National Lottery and the people who play it.

 

Thank you National Lottery Players

Without the generous funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, many important English Heritage projects would not have been a reality. The 25th birthday was a moment to celebrate the impact The National Lottery has had on the UK, and to say thank you to National Lottery players for contributing around £30 million to good causes every week. Here we take a look at some of the projects funded by grants.

KEY PROJECTS

  • STONEHENGE environmental improvements project

    Visitors are now able to enjoy an accessible, modern introduction to this world-famous prehistoric site due to a £10 million grant. Full disability access, a dedicated education space, a café and shop are part of the sensitively-designed visitor centre which opened in 2014. 

  • Marble Hill revived

    The National Lottery has granted English Heritage over £4 million to restore the landscape and facilities across the park and open the Georgian house to visitors for free, five days a week, seven months a year.

  • Shout Out Loud: giving young people a voice in heritage

    English Heritage was one of 12 recipients to benefit from the Kick the Dust programme in 2017. The £994,500 grant is enabling us to run creative youth-led activities that engage a wider audience of young people in their local heritage sites.

  • The Once and future fund: safeguarding the future of free sites

    The National Lottery has pledged to fund £1 million of an endowment that will secure the future of our 300 free to enter sites – which range from sections of Hadrian’s Wall to working historic windmills – and find new ways to engage wider audiences.  

  • Rediscovering Walmer Pleasure Grounds

    Thanks to a National Lottery grant of over £1.4 million in 2017, visitors of all ages can now enjoy restored gardens, including a Glen that was lost for 100 years, and a new café, while schools are benefitting from a new education space.

  • J W Evans: the Jewel of the Jewellery Quarter

    A £69,500 Resilient Heritage grant in 2018 has given us the opportunity to explore ways in which this important site of industrial heritage could be enjoyed by a wider range of people and benefit the local community.

  • Poppies: Engaging the Community with Carlisle's WWI stories

    For 47 days over the summer of 2018, more than 100,000 people visited the Weeping Window sculpture at Carlisle Castle. Educational activities commemorating the centenary of WWI were supported by a £10,000 grant.

  • Forging a strong partnership and sustainable future for Berwick Barracks

    The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded English Heritage a £69,500 Resilient Heritage grant in 2019 to work with local partners to explore ways of making Berwick Barracks, and its collections, more sustainable. 

  • Richmond Castle Cells: voices of rebellion

    A grant of £391,300 from the National Lottery in 2014 helped reveal the stories behind over 2,000 graffiti inscriptions in the Richmond Castle Cells. This project worked with local volunteers to bring this chapter of history to life.

  • Historic and botanic Garden Trainee programmes

    This prestigious skills training programme benefited from two National Lottery grants over ten years. More than 200 trainees have completed the programme and 86% of graduates have gone on to higher education or employment in the heritage horticulture sector.

  • Caring for Kenwood

    The magnificent Kenwood House and its Dairy were restored after the National Lottery pledged a grant of £4 million in 2011. Visitors now enjoy the improved displays and family trails, while the local community benefits from increased volunteering opportunities and public events.

  • Wrest Park revitalisation project

    We’re over halfway through a 20-year master plan for Wrest Park, which began with a National Lottery-funded project to restore both the Rose and Italian gardens, and create new interpretation and visitor facilities.

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