The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) is very pleased to announce that it has awarded new Project Viability Grants to support projects by two Heritage Development Trusts, Intra Community Trust and North East Scotland Preservation Trust. These awards were made in the latest grants meeting, where 9 projects across England, Scotland and Wales were offered funding totalling £97,125.
Made possible by a three-year strategic partnership between AHF and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Heritage Development Trusts (HDTs) are people-powered social enterprises that have been created to reimagine, repair, and reuse historic buildings that communities value, reinvesting revenues to build flourishing, prosperous places in every corner of the UK. As part of the HDTs programme, the Trusts will be supported with grant funding, expertise and advice as they develop.
You can read more about the two HDT projects that have recently been awarded funding below.
Chatham Unitarian Church, Kent, England
Intra Community Trust
Image: The exterior of Chatham Unitarian Church. Image courtesy of Intra Community Trust.
Chatham Unitarian Church is a typical non-conformist church that has not changed architecturally since it was built in 1889.
The future of this building is currently uncertain. Severely underused, it is at risk of becoming inaccessible to the public in the near future.
Intra Community Trust (ICT) is a community-led, start-up HDT. Registered as a charity in September 2024, the Trust aims to preserve, regenerate and develop the Old High Street Intra Conservation Area and wider Medway through community-led heritage regeneration, and heritage, community and arts activity.
ICT is currently exploring options for taking over the lease of Chatham Unitarian Church and repurposing it as a mixed-use cultural and community venue. This would offer large meeting rooms, provide space for community and commercial organisations and activities, and deliver a mix of daytime and evening programmes, performances and events.
The AHF grant will fund a viability study to establish the viability of converting the church for community and commercial use. Specifically, the study will explore options for creating flexible staging and seating, upgrading heating and lighting, and improving accessibility within the building, as well as creating a community garden in the churchyard. It will also provide estimates of venue capacity and potential income.
Marble Warehouse and Workshop, Portsoy, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
North East Scotland Preservation Trust
Images: The exterior of the Marble Warehouse (left) and Marble Workshop (right) on Portsoy Harbour. Credit: North East Scotland Preservation Trust.
Having been gifted by local benefactor Tom Burnett-Stuart, six historic buildings on the picturesque historic harbour of Portsoy have recently passed into the custodianship of the North East Scotland Preservation Trust (NESPT), securing their futures and allowing them to be developed for the benefit of locals and visitors alike. This includes the Category A listed Marble Warehouse and the Category B listed Marble Workshop.
Built to the designs of John Adam in 1765, the Marble Warehouse is a narrow building that was once used as a granary. In recent years, it has accommodated a shop and pottery on the ground floor, with upper floors being used for storage. The Marble Workshop dates from the mid-18th century; since 1964, marble from a nearby quarry has been polished and worked in this building.
For this project, NESPT aims to develop the Marble Warehouse and Marble Workshop into Portsoy Creative Hub. The Warehouse will remain open plan to accommodate eight artists’ studios and co-working space – the existing shop will be retained. Meanwhile, the Workshop will house an office, toilets, a kitchen, meeting and gallery space, and an artist in residence flat.
The AHF has previously supported this project with two Historic Environment Scotland-supported grants, the first of which funded an options appraisal to identify the most appropriate and financially viable options for the future of the portfolio of harbour buildings; the second helped to progress pre-development design work for the Marble Warehouse and Workshop to RIBA stage 1. This latest grant, awarded through the HDT programme, will enable the Trust to appoint a design team to investigate the feasibility and costs of splitting the Marble Warehouse and Workshop project into two phases. This work will inform future bids for capital funding.
