The United Kingdom government has announced more than £41 million in funding to restore 74 historic buildings across England, including churches, synagogues, town halls, market halls and castles.
The funding, announced on Thursday by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Historic England and Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross, will be distributed through the Places of Worship Renewal Fund and the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund.
The two schemes are part of the government’s wider £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund, designed to support the repair, restoration and conservation of historic buildings.
According to the announcement, 51 places of worship will share more than £18 million through the Places of Worship Renewal Fund, while nearly £13 million will support 20 projects under the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund.
An additional £10 million will be invested over the remainder of the current parliament to support major restoration projects at three significant heritage sites: Dover Castle, Brodsworth Hall in Doncaster and Osborne, Queen Victoria’s former family residence on the Isle of Wight.
The announcement followed visits by Twycross to Margate and Ramsgate, where funding is supporting the restoration of the Grade II-listed Margate Museum and Old Town Hall, as well as urgent repairs to the Church of St George in Ramsgate.
The heritage minister said the investment would help preserve historic buildings that play important roles in communities across England.
She noted that many historic structures had suffered deterioration, including leaking roofs and crumbling stonework, threatening their long-term preservation and continued use.
“Nothing tells the stories of our nation quite like the historic buildings at the heart of our communities,” Twycross said, adding that the funding would help ensure these buildings remained accessible to communities for years to come.
Among the religious sites selected for funding are Birmingham Cathedral, the Church of St Elwyn in Hayle, Cornwall, and the Sir Moses Montefiore Memorial Synagogue in Grimsby.
At Birmingham Cathedral, the planned restoration work will address deterioration affecting its tower and dome. Repairs at the Church of St Elwyn will include masonry work, improvements to rainwater systems and the restoration of interior decorations and other parts of the building.
The grant awarded to the Sir Moses Montefiore Memorial Synagogue will support restoration of the ark’s structure inside the late nineteenth-century building. The synagogue was described in the announcement as the only remaining synagogue in Lincolnshire and South Humberside.
Under the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, the Margate Museum and Old Town Hall will receive support for major structural repairs aimed at improving public access, protecting the museum’s collections and enabling greater community use.
The former Post Office on Abingdon Street in Blackpool will also receive funding for the first phase of a project to transform the building into a community-led cultural and creative hub.
Historic England Co-Chief Executives Emma Squire and Claudia Kenyatta said the grants would help protect historic buildings facing significant repair and conservation challenges.
They said the funding would support places that shape the identity of communities across England and provide spaces where people can connect and participate in community life.
English Heritage Acting Chief Executive Kate Logan also welcomed the investment in Dover Castle, Osborne and Brodsworth Hall, describing the three sites as important historic landmarks that help people understand the country’s national story.
She said all three sites required repairs and expressed appreciation for the government’s support in ensuring they remained accessible to the public.
The Church of England’s lead bishop for buildings, the Bishop of St Albans, Andrew Rumsey, also welcomed the grants awarded to churches and cathedrals.
He said the funding would help cover essential repairs, allowing worship, community outreach and social activities to continue while easing the fundraising burden on local volunteers responsible for maintaining historic religious buildings.
The government said both funding schemes prioritise areas facing the greatest need, particularly communities where fundraising is difficult and public investment can make a significant difference.
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund has an allocation of £92 million across the current parliament, while the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund has a total allocation of £75 million over the same period.
A second round of successful recipients under both schemes for the 2026/27 financial year is expected to be announced later.
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