The Architectural Heritage Fund

07/10/2026

07/10/2026

06/10/2026

‘From arts and culture to business and innovation, our beautiful and inspiring venue is putting our neighbourhood on the map, locally, regionally, and globally.’

Built in 1870 during a population boom in Kingston-upon-Hull, St Matthew’s Church went on to serve its community for nearly 145 years before closing in 2013.

Local housing provider Giroscope Hull rapidly saw potential in the building and set out on a project to bring it back to life.

Having been reopened as St Matthew’s Community Enterprise Centre in 2025, the former church is now home to a community-led office, co-working and enterprise space, with over 1,600 users already part of the community.

Find out more about this Project of the Week for : ⬇
https://ahfund.org.uk/anniversary/former-st-matthews-church

📸 Pictured here is:
1. The exterior of the former St Matthew’s Church.
2. The opening of St Matthew’s Community Enterprise Centre in 2025.
3. The opening of St Matthew’s Community Enterprise Centre in 2025. Credit: Octovision Media.

06/10/2026

To celebrate our 50th anniversary, we have put together a list of 25 standout projects.

The list includes The Farmer’s Arms at Lowick Green, which we are really pleased to see featured on ITV News. We supported Grizedale Arts in 2021 with steps to restore this listed building purchased during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has now been transformed into a hybrid pub and arts centre serving the rural community.

There’s a nice little shout out to the Old Police Station in Langholm in this piece too, which is another great project that has created affordable housing.

Watch the video here: 👇
https://www.itv.com/watch/news/country-pub-and-arts-centre-recognised-by-architectural-heritage-fund/85dqxtj

Watch the latest from ITV News - Charity Grizedale Arts got the keys to the Farmers' Arms in the South Lakes back in 2021, aiming to turn the listed building a multipurpose education space.

29/09/2026

It’s time for Project of the Week 38, which just happens to be recognised as the birthplace of something most of us use unthinkingly every day… Hint: 🍴

Built in Sheffield in 1879, Portland Works is one of the last remaining working examples of a purpose-built metal trades factory. It is here in this Grade II*-listed site that stainless steel cutlery was first produced back in 1914.

Having ceased production in the 1960s, the buildings fell into decline and later faced the threat of residential conversion. It was a social enterprise comprising of more than 500 community shareholders that swooped in to save the day, ultimately purchasing the site in 2013.

Today, Portland Works is a thriving artisan cooperative, home to over 30 different craftspeople and small manufacturers who make everything from violins and willow coffins to longbows and leather belts to gin and jewellery.

Read more: 👇
https://ahfund.org.uk/anniversary/portland-works

📸 Pictured here is:
1. Cutlery Factory at Portland Works, c.1900. Credit: Portland Works.
2. The front elevation of Portland Works today.
3. Emma Hardy of Hardy Violins, Portland Works tenant. Credit: Joanne Crawford.

29/09/2026

28/09/2026

The winners of the 2026 Architects’ Journal Retrofit & Reuse Awards have been revealed! 🙌

A massive congratulations to the four projects that took home an award at last week's ceremony:

🏆 Adaptive reuse into other - Horizon Youth Zone, Grimsby, which we supported with a Project Development Grant back in 2020.

🏆 Positive addition (up to £5 million) - Millport Town Hall, which we supported with three grants from 2018 to 2024.

🏆 Adaptive reuse into mixed use - Eagle House, Hastings, which we supported with a Project Development Grant back in 2021, and is a project by one of our pilot , The Hastings Commons.

🏆 Conservation and Historic (up to £20 million) - St Andrew’s Chapel: The SPAB Old House Project. This seven-year project by The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) has involved the repair, conservation and retrofit of a Grade II* listed chapel in Kent, transforming it into a comfortable three bedroomed home. An AHF loan of £500,000, awarded in September 2019, funded restoration and repair works to the property, playing a key role in supporting the scheme.

Check out the whole list of winners here:👇
https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/winners-revealed-for-the-2026-aj-retrofit-reuse-awards

📸 Pictured here is:
1. St Andrew’s Chapel (The Old House Project). Credit: Inigo.
2. Millport Town Hall.
3. Horizon Youth Zone, Grimsby. Credit: Gary Davies.

24/09/2026

🔔 Funding available in England!

Do you need funding and support to bring a historic building back into use?

Grants are now available through our to help communities across England rescue and repurpose neglected historic buildings, with a focus on town centre locations. The Fund also particularly prioritises historic buildings in deprived areas.

If this sounds like something that could benefit your project, then you can find more information about the Heritage Revival Fund on our website. Head to our Funding Finder now to learn which grant your project may be eligible for: ⬇️
https://ahfund.org.uk/what-we-do/fund/?goto=funding-finder

📸 Pictured here is Jacobs Wells Baths in Bristol, which has received a Project Development Grant and Capital Grant through the Heritage Revival Fund. Trinity Community Arts is leading a project to repair and restore the Grade II-listed building into a vibrant, multi-purpose community, arts and heritage hub, reconnecting it with the people it was built to serve. Photo credit: Alastair Brookes.

The Heritage Revival Fund is delivered in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Historic England.

23/09/2026

🎉 In our landmark 50th anniversary year, we are delighted to announce that we have reached a significant lending milestone of 1000 loan offers!

Our 1000th loan has been awarded through the Heritage Impact Fund, made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Cadw, and will help bridge grant payments received in arrears, supporting the repair and refurbishment of Plas Gunter Mansion in Abergavenny.

This Grade II*-listed townhouse is no ordinary building - formerly belonging to the Gunter family, it played a major role in the political and religious struggles of the late 17th century, and contains within its attic a secret chapel where illegal Catholic masses could be celebrated.

Having fallen into severe disrepair, Plas Gunter Mansion Trust is now working to restore and redevelop Plas Gunter to create a welcoming cultural and community hub in the heart of this Welsh market town, preserving its fascinating history and securing its future for many generations to come.

Find out more about the project and the support the AHF’s 1000th loan is providing: ⬇️
https://ahfund.org.uk/what-we-do/inspire/news/50-years-1000-loans

📸 The exterior of Plas Gunter Mansion in Abergavenny. Credit: Plas Gunter Mansion Trust.

22/09/2026

Built by local philanthropist, Magistrate and Mayor of Liverpool, Bernard Hall, The Florence Institute for Boys in Di**le, South Liverpool, dates back to 1889 and is believed to be the oldest surviving purpose-built boys club in the UK.

For almost one hundred years, The Florrie – as it is fondly known by locals – served the community in this district of the city, providing a wide range of educational and skills-based activities. However, following its closure, it fell into disrepair and suffered several devastating building fires.

What followed was a successful campaign to save the beloved Grade II-listed building and bring it back to its former glory.

The Florrie reopened its doors to the public in 2012 and, today, the Victorian community arts and heritage venue remains a social, cultural, educational, and charitable hub for the people of South Liverpool.

Learn more about this Project of the Week for : 👇
https://ahfund.org.uk/anniversary/the-florrie

📸 Pictured here is:
1. The exterior of The Florrie before restoration. Credit: The Florence Institute Trust.
2. The exterior of The Florrie today. Credit: Ian Broadhurst.
3. A dance class inside the Grand Hall of The Florrie. Credit: Ian Broadhurst.