Encouraging Interest in the Recent Past

Abstract

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) was set up in 1994 to distribute money raised by the National Lottery to heritage projects throughout the United Kingdom. HLF is therefore a comparatively recent participant in the conservation, management and interpretation of the industrial heritage of the United Kingdom. However, HLF's contribution to the conservation of and public involvement withindustrial heritage has already been considerable. This chapter outlines HLF's definition of industrial heritage and its funding for projects within this heritage sector. It considers how this investment can be made sustainable in the long term by encouraging the adaptive reuse of former industrial buildings and interest among local communities in their recent past. In order to demonstrate the positive impact that this investment has had on the historic character of the areas involved and their communities, evaluative case studies from a wide range of industrial heritage projects are referenced throughout.