Every day we care for historic and natural places across England, Northern Ireland and Wales so that current and future generations can enjoy them. This ambition is shared by the National Lottery, which has been supporting key conservation projects since 1994. Their funding benefits many of our places, people and local communities year round.
Since 1994, thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales, National Lottery Community Fund, Sport England and Sport Wales, we’ve received over £150 million to restore and repair historic houses, gardens and countryside.
From adding to the collection of Winston Churchill's personal objects at Chartwell in Kent, to transforming the mill and house at Quarry Bank in Cheshire, these restoration projects allow more people to experience nature, beauty and history. Millions of people visit the places that have benefitted from National Lottery Heritage Fund grants each year.
Castle Drogo, Devon
At Castle Drogo, a major project was needed to address nearly 100 years of water ingress, leaks and damage. This historic castle, perched on the granite rock on Dartmoor, was saved thanks to the generous support of several donations and sources of funding, including from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Next: Florence Court, Northern Ireland
Next: Florence Court, Northern Ireland
Florence Court, Northern Ireland
A project to restore Florence Court’s Kitchen Garden to its former 1930s splendour was given a funding boost of £374,800 thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Aiming to recreate the garden at its most productive, the project has now reinstated two glasshouses where the original glass structures once stood in the estate’s Walled Garden.
Before the glasshouses were officially opened to the public, staff and volunteers – including garden teams from across Northern Ireland – came to the Kitchen Garden to help prepare for the launch of the glasshouses. The glasshouses will provide a community-led educational space to teach those with an interest in horticulture and community gardening about propagation techniques and other growing skills.
Prev: Castle Drogo, Devon
Next: Souter Lighthouse and the Leas, Tyne & Wear
Prev: Castle Drogo, Devon
Next: Souter Lighthouse and the Leas, Tyne & Wear
Souter Lighthouse and the Leas, Tyne & Wear
The new Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre at Souter Lighthouse is a space where community groups and visitors can learn more about the wildlife, landscape and history of the South Tyneside coast. It'll play a key role in delivering the aims of the SeaScapes Partnership, which is supported by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund. The partnership connects people with the coast between the Tyne and Tees rivers through 23 projects about heritage, nature and improvements to coastal access.
The centre is an accessible multi-use space with room for exhibitions and interpretation about the Northeast coast and marine conservation, new events and activities at Souter Lighthouse. We hope that in future, the centre will be used by local community groups with an interest in improving mental and physical health, protecting the coastal and marine environment and exploring local heritage.
Prev: Florence Court, Northern Ireland
Next: Chartwell House, Kent
Prev: Florence Court, Northern Ireland
Next: Chartwell House, Kent
Chartwell House, Kent
Chartwell House, home of Winston Churchill, received £3.45 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to protect the former prime minister’s legacy and acquire a collection of his personal objects. Among the heirlooms are books, medallions and awards, including his Nobel Prize in Literature. The funding also helped to open rooms not previously open to the public.
Prev: Souter Lighthouse and the Leas, Tyne & Wear
Next: Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire
Prev: Souter Lighthouse and the Leas, Tyne & Wear
Next: Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire
Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire
The project to help unearth the story of Chedworth Roman Villa was made possible by a £700,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It has allowed visitors to get close to the 4th-century mosaic floors, villa rooms and decorative artefacts at what is one of Britain’s largest remaining Roman villas, nearly 2,000 years after it was first built.
Prev: Chartwell House, Kent
Next: Croome Court, Worcestershire
Prev: Chartwell House, Kent
Next: Croome Court, Worcestershire
Croome Court, Worcestershire
Thanks to a £1.8 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, alongside generous donations from supporters, we've completed a major programme of repairs at Croome. This included reservicing the house and repairing the roof in the Long Gallery.
Prev: Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire
Next: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Yorkshire
Prev: Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire
Next: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Yorkshire
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Yorkshire
Alongside the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), we are the lead partners of 16 organisations who've come together to deliver the Skell Valley Project. Funded by several funders including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project will create a sustainable future for the valley – which includes Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal – and its unique cultural and natural heritage, which are under threat from climate change.
Prev: Croome Court, Worcestershire
Next: Powis Castle, Wales
Prev: Croome Court, Worcestershire
Next: Powis Castle, Wales
Powis Castle, Wales
A watercolour painting of Sir Edward Herbert, by Isaac Oliver, was secured for the nation in 2016 with the help of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Art Fund and our members and supporters. Full-length miniatures of this kind are exceptionally rare, and now forms part of the collection at Powis Castle. The painting is smaller than a sheet of A4, exquisitely decorated with bright pigments and precious metals like silver and gold and is one of the most charming painted portrait miniatures of the Jacobean age.
Prev: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Yorkshire
Next: Quarry Bank, Cheshire
Prev: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Yorkshire
Next: Quarry Bank, Cheshire
Quarry Bank, Cheshire
Quarry Bank has been transformed with a £9.4m project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The mill has become accessible for all visitors with a new lift to the upper floor, and restoration work has been done in the house, workhouse and Upper Garden.
Prev: Powis Castle, Wales
Next: Sutton Hoo, Kent
Prev: Powis Castle, Wales
Next: Sutton Hoo, Kent
Sutton Hoo, Kent
A £4 million project at Sutton Hoo was made possible by our members, supporters, donors and funders, including a £1.8 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Releasing the Sutton Hoo Story project has enabled new ways for visitors to explore this internationally significant archaeological site, including revamped exhibition spaces and displays of both replica and original objects. The creation of a 17m-high viewing tower overlooking the Royal Burial Ground also helps visitors understand the context of the site and its connection with the River Deben.
Prev: Quarry Bank, Cheshire
Prev: Quarry Bank, Cheshire
Whether you choose to fundraise, donate or volunteer, there are lots of meaningful ways to help look after the places in our care for future generations.
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As a charity, we want to say thank you to National Lottery players who’ve made so much of our conservation work possible. So during National Lottery Open Week 2024, we offered free entry to many places in our care to National Lottery players.
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Find out more about the funding the National Trust receives from grants, and the projects it has helped support.
Find out more about the major conservation work at Seaton Delaval Hall and discover new facilities, experiences and events thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Last updated: 20 October 2022Find out more about the £6 million project at Oxburgh Estate, which included repairs to the roof, windows, chimneys and medieval gatehouse façade, securing Oxburgh’s future and the collection within.
Discover how Ickworth completed a major conservation project to repair the Rotunda roof and safeguard the future of this classic Italianate building for years to come.
