The UK government has just revealed 445 heritage sites across England that have been awarded cash from the Cultural Recovery Heritage Fund.
The £1.5 billion rescue package was announced earlier this year to mitigate the devastating impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on the country's cultural institutions. Now, we know which of the nation's museums, parks, and historic buildings will benefit from the first round of funding. And many London heritage sites will be receiving a share — capped at under £1m apiece — of the £103 million pot.
Among the cultural institutions being thrown a lifeline in the capital are the Royal Parks. The organisation that looks after Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James' Park, Greenwich Park, Bushy Park, Richmond Park, Regent's Park and Green Park (plus Brompton Cemetery) is to receive a £975,000 award.
There's more good news for outdoorsy types, with the London Gardens Trust being awarded £31,900 to support their work championing the capital's green spaces.
Other notable London-based recipients include The Golden Hinde, a replica of Sir Francis Drake's famous ship berthed at St Mary Overie Dock, which is to get £200,000 from the fund. Continuing on the theme of London's nautical heritage, the Greenwich Foundation, which conserves the Old Royal Naval College, is to receive a whopping £999,900 — the biggest single award on the list.
Smaller but invaluable institutions are also set to benefit from the fund: The Migration Museum Project (currently based in Lewisham), the Black Cultural Archives, and Tower Hamlets Cemetery park have also received awards.
On top of the Cultural Recovery Heritage Fund, 12 organisations will receive £34 million from the Heritage Stimulus Fund. These include Historic Royal Palaces (which runs the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House and more) and English Heritage (responsible for the blue plaque scheme, Wellington Arch and loads more London landmarks).
These measures will undoubtedly be welcomed by the institutions receiving grants — though with the coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of disappearing anytime soon, only time will tell whether the funding goes far enough.
For more information on the Cultural Recovery Heritage fund, and to see the other London organisations that are set to benefit from it, click here.
