Heritage Lottery Fund
Encyclopedia
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is a fund established in the United Kingdom
under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery
to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage
. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, the natural environment and cultural traditions, HLF provides grants to support all aspects of the UK's diverse heritage.
Since 1994, HLF has supported more than 33,900 projects, allocating £4.7 billion across the UK.
project and ‘Young Roots’ projects that encourage local community groups and young people to explore the past that interests them.
Small Projects aided by HLF Funding are:
- the Board of Trustees of the National Heritage Memorial Fund
(NHMF). The turnover of the HLF is considerably larger than the ongoing work of the NHMF (funded from Exchequer grants and endowments). Although HLF is not a government department, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
issues financial and policy directions to the organisation, which reports to Parliament through the Department.
HLF decisions about policies and large applications are made by the Trustees of the NHMF. There are also decision-making committees in the English regions, Scotland
, Wales
and Northern Ireland
.
, with separate offices in each of the English regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, the natural environment and cultural traditions, HLF provides grants to support all aspects of the UK's diverse heritage.
Since 1994, HLF has supported more than 33,900 projects, allocating £4.7 billion across the UK.
Large projects
Major projects supported by HLF include:-- Restoration of the Kennet and Avon CanalKennet and Avon CanalThe Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
, SomersetSomersetThe ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
– awarded £25 million - Creation of the National Waterfront MuseumNational Waterfront MuseumThe National Waterfront Museum, Swansea or NWMS is a museum situated in Swansea, Wales, forming part of the National Museum Wales. It is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage....
, SwanseaSwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
– awarded £11 million - Acquisition of RaphaelRaphaelRaffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
’s Madonna of the PinksMadonna of the PinksThe Madonna of the Pinks is an early devotional painting usually attributed to Italian Renaissance master Raphael. It is painted in oils on fruitwood and now hangs in the National Gallery, London....
(for the National Gallery) – awarded £11.5 million - Kelvingrove Gallery, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
– awarded £13 million - Heaton ParkHeaton ParkHeaton Park, covering an area variously reported as , 247 hectares, , over and is the biggest park in Greater Manchester, England and one of the biggest municipal parks in Europe. The park comprises the grounds of a Grade I listed, neoclassical 18th century country house, Heaton Hall...
, ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
– awarded £8.5 million
Small projects
HLF also supports a wide range of smaller, community-focused schemes. More than half of its grants are for ‘Your Heritage’ for example The Ballet of ChangeThe Ballet of Change: Piccadilly Circus
The Ballet of Change is a series of four films , each one about a world famous landmark in London - London Bridge, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus. Each film tells the history of its location using imagery and music...
project and ‘Young Roots’ projects that encourage local community groups and young people to explore the past that interests them.
Small Projects aided by HLF Funding are:
- Bank HallBank HallBank Hall is a Jacobean mansion south of the village of Bretherton in Lancashire, England. It is a Grade II* Listed Building. The hall was built on the site of a previous building in 1608 during the reign of James I by the Banastre family who were Lords of the Manor. It was extended during the 18th...
in BrethertonBrethertonBretherton is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England situated to the south west of Leyland and east of Tarleton. Its name suggests pre-conquest origins and its early history was closely involved with the manor house Bank Hall and the families who lived there...
- Awarded £1.59 million
Administration
Although HLF is branded as though it a body in its own right, it is actually administered by a pre-existing non-departmental public bodyNon-departmental public body
In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body —often referred to as a quango—is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to certain types of public bodies...
- the Board of Trustees of the National Heritage Memorial Fund
National Heritage Memorial Fund
The National Heritage Memorial Fund is a non-departmental public body set up under the National Heritage Act 1980 in memory of people who gave their lives for the United Kingdom....
(NHMF). The turnover of the HLF is considerably larger than the ongoing work of the NHMF (funded from Exchequer grants and endowments). Although HLF is not a government department, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport is a United Kingdom cabinet position with responsibility for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The role was created in 1992 by John Major as Secretary of State for National Heritage...
issues financial and policy directions to the organisation, which reports to Parliament through the Department.
HLF decisions about policies and large applications are made by the Trustees of the NHMF. There are also decision-making committees in the English regions, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Offices
Head office is in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, with separate offices in each of the English regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.