Woodhorn to receive nearly £1 million in Historic England funding

Thirty-seven much-loved historic buildings and sites across England including four in the North East will be saved for future generations through £15 million in repair grants announced today (Thursday 7 August 2025).

The Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, led by Historic England and funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, will rescue listed buildings and sites facing dereliction or demolition. Projects range from Victorian market halls to medieval churches, creating new jobs and community spaces.

The one-year fund prioritises heritage sites serving disadvantaged communities and which demonstrate strong local benefits, from job creation to cultural events.

In the North East the successful projects, totalling almost £2 million, include: 

• The repair of Woodhorn Colliery’s historic mineshaft structures
• The restoration of two community buildings in the Byker Wall Estate in Newcastle
• The transformation of a derelict 19^th century building in Sunderland into a community hub. 

This funding prevents irreversible loss of England's built heritage whilst delivering the Government's commitment to break down barriers to opportunity and deliver growth.

Historic buildings are at the heart of local communities, providing spaces for education, arts and local enterprise.

The fund operates alongside Historic England’s existing Heritage at Risk programme, targeting sites requiring immediate action to prevent further deterioration.

Louise Brennan, Director of Regions at Historic England, said:

"Thanks to the extra funding from the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, we are able to breathe new life into neglected historic buildings that we haven’t been able to help through our existing grant schemes. This initiative will not only boost economic growth but also create amazing opportunities for people in some of the nation's most disadvantaged areas. We're thrilled to support projects that harness the power of heritage to make a real difference where it's needed most."

Heritage Minister, Baroness Twycross, said: 

"Our extraordinary heritage weaves together the stories that define who we are as communities and as a nation.

"We are delivering on our Plan for Change, through the Heritage at Risk Fund, by breathing new life into treasured places, buildings and monuments across the North East, helping to increase opportunities and ensuring that future generations have access to our rich heritage."

Keith Merrin, Director of North East Museums (responding to the grant award for Woodhorn Colliery), said:

"We’re absolutely delighted to receive this support from Historic England - it’s a huge step forward in securing the future of the heapsteads.

"The structures are such an iconic part of Northumberland’s landscape and identity and they stand as powerful symbols of the region’s proud mining legacy. Their restoration will not only prevent the loss of a vital piece of our heritage, but will completely reawaken the visitor experience around the colliery buildings at Woodhorn Museum and the stories that they tell - reconnecting the community with its past."

Woodhorn Colliery Shaft Heads, Ashington, Northumberland (£997,265) 

Historic England is providing nearly £1 million towards restoring Woodhorn Colliery's iconic mineshaft structures in Northumberland. These rare surviving heapsteads are a key part of the mechanism which brought coal from over 250 metres underground. 

Located near Ashington, an area famous for its mining heritage, the project will ensure the colliery buildings and the story of what they represent is conserved for future generations. New exhibitions and interactive film screens will showcase interviews with windermen who operated the original winding systems. 

Supported by significant investment from Northumberland County Council, the project will create training opportunities for young people in construction and heritage skills, whilst preserving vital community identity. 

Urgent funding is needed as deteriorating steel structures pose serious safety risks, with metal sections and paint already falling. Without immediate action, these irreplaceable monuments to Britain's mining past face potential collapse, threatening both public safety and irreversible heritage loss. 

Byker Estate Hobby Rooms, Newcastle upon Tyne (£98,735) 

More than £98,000 of funding will transform two Grade II* listed Hobby Rooms on Newcastle's Byker Wall Estate, bringing vital community facilities to one of England's most distinctive housing developments.  

Karbon Homes will convert Spires Lane hobby room into a new community hub, whilst St Michael's Mount will become an artist's studio for creative production and community engagement. 

These unique buildings were originally designed as part of architect Ralph Erskine's bold 1960s social housing vision to encourage community interaction. After years of neglect, the funding will restore their original purpose whilst addressing contemporary needs.  

The project is part of Karbon Homes’ Fair Foundations approach to place-making, delivering projects and initiatives in its communities that help make lasting change and support social growth. 

Tyre Shop, Sunderland, 177 High St West, Sunderland (£858,208) 

The Heritage at Risk Capital Fund will help transform a derelict early 19th century building in Sunderland's Sunniside neighbourhood into a community hub. 

The restoration of The Tyre Shop will conserve an important historic building and dramatically improve the streetscape, with new traditional shopfronts and reinstated timber sash windows. 

The grant will create a multi-use, active building including retail units, a Meeting House for the Sunderland Quakers, and a new events space. The building will incorporate carbon and energy efficiency improvements. 

The project is part of a long-term partnership between Historic England, Sunderland City Council and Tyne & Wear Building Preservation Trust to regenerate the area. It will continue the transformation of Sunderland’s High Street West, building on previous Heritage Action Zone investment in buildings such as PopRecs music and arts venue. 

It forms a key gateway to the new Nile + Villiers Street community and is part of Sunniside’s Place Strategy being delivered by the Council and partners, including 75 new housing units. 

For further information, please contact John Walker, Public Engagement Manager (North East and Yorkshire), John.Walker@HistoricEngland.org.uk.

For the North East Museums press office, please contact communications@northeastmuseums.org.uk.