Grants

Celebrating 30 years of the National Lottery

2024 marks the National Lottery's 30th birthday.

Since the first draw took place on 19 November 1994, more than £49bn has been raised by National Lottery players for good causes – spread across 690,000 grants to individuals and communities up and down the country.

Of these, English Heritage is lucky enough to have been awarded 76 grants totalling £50m, for projects such as Belsay Awakes and Marble Hill Revived as well as ongoing projects at Grime's Graves and Gainsborough Old Hall.

 

Check out some of the amazing projects English Heritage is able to undertake thanks to money raised by the National Lottery.

In this video, you can learn more about National Lottery-funded schemes at 

Art Installation at Whitby Abbey

To celebrate its 30th birthday, The National Lottery is recognising the difference its support offers to individuals and charities.

The celebrations have championed a series of Game Changers – people who have used National Lottery grants to enact real and lasting change in their communities. The Heritage Game Changers, chosen to represent seven transformational, influential and impactful heritage projects, have been recognised with a large-scale artwork at Whitby Abbey.

Artist David Popa's incredible 'Heritage Tree' piece at Whitby highlights the beauty of the Abbey and the landscape. The artwork was unveiled on 1 October 2024 and due to its nature, only lasted for a fortnight. Please take a look at the process of creating it.

Recent and ongoing projects

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Grime’s Graves: Digging Deeper

    Thanks to a £216,581.00 grant, we have reopened this Neolithic flint mine, the only one in the UK open to the public. The funding enabled updated interpretation, improved accessibility, and a community engagement programme.

  • Richborough: Gateway to Brittania

    Once a vital Roman hub, a £200,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund has meant Richborough's story can now be retold with a new and improved visitor centre, museum, and reconstructed Roman gateway.

  • Belsay Awakes

    Made possible through a generous £3,00,000 grant, Belsay Awakes saw the site's gardens restored to their glorious best, with major conservation works future-proofing the Hall, and a new accessible and family-friendly offer for all to enjoy. 

  • Old Hall: New Beginnings

    The impressive medieval manor, Gainsborough Old Hall is currently being revitalised thanks to a £222k grant. A new volunteer scheme, schools' programme and onsite activities will restore the Hall to the heart of its community.

Donate today

As a charity we rely on your generosity to ensure that as many people as possible enjoy the buildings, landscapes and objects that tell the story of England over the past 6,000 years.

You can support English Heritage today by donating to the charity and helping to give the nation's heritage a future.

Plus, our members get more. Join as an English Heritage member and from just £4 a month, and as well as keeping history alive, you'll have unlimited access to more than 400 historic places.

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