Projects supported by the National Lottery

A la Ronde, Devon

Conserving the collection at A la Ronde

Sixteen-sided A la Ronde in Devon is home to a unique 200-year-old Shell Gallery, created by cousins Mary and Jane Parminter. Thanks to funders, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, a major conservation project to conserve over 26,000 shells, bones, and other materials, means that A la Ronde’s intricate gallery, Grotto Staircase, a frieze made of thousands of feathers and the house’s unique interior has been secured for generations to come. The funding has also made a new digital experience possible, including an online Compendium sharing new stories that A la Ronde can now tell. You can also take two new virtual tours of the Shell Gallery, which is too fragile to explore in person, opening it up to anyone wanting to take a closer look, while ensuring it is safe for the future.

Read about the conservation project at A la Ronde.

Castle Drogo, Devon

Repairing the castle

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.

Learn more about saving Castle Drogo

Florence Court, Northern Ireland

Restoring the Kitchen Garden

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.

Find out more about restoring Florence Court's Kitchen Garden

Souter Lighthouse and the Leas, Tyne & Wear

A new community space at Souter Lighthouse

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.

Find out more about the Whitburn Coastal Conservation Centre

Chartwell House, Kent

Keeping Churchill at Chartwell

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.

Discover our work at Chartwell

Chedworth Roman Villa, Gloucestershire

Restoration at Chedworth Roman Villa

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.

Find out more about the history of Chedworth Roman Villa

Croome Court, Worcestershire

Repair works at Croome

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.

Discover our work to conserve Croome Court

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Yorkshire

The Skell Valley Project

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.

Learn more about the Skell Valley Project

Powis Castle, Wales

Jacobean miniature secured for the nation

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.

Discover more about the painting and collection at Powis Castle

Quarry Bank, Cheshire

Transforming Quarry Bank

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.

Learn more about the Quarry Bank Project

Sutton Hoo, Kent

Releasing the Sutton Hoo Story

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.

Discover more about the Releasing the Sutton Hoo Story project