Heritage Places Scheme to include Belfast Historic Waterfront and Dudley

Above: Dudley Castle - courtesy Dudley Council

Six areas of the UK – from Barking & Dagenham in London and Dudley in the Black Country to the Orkney Islands and Ynys Môn – Isle of Anglesey in Scotland and Wales respectively – are to join the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s £200m Heritage Places scheme, according to the Museums Association.

Heritage Places aims to make heritage integral to plans that are making local areas better places to live, work and visit over a 10-year period.

The new areas to benefit from the scheme are:

• Barking & Dagenham in East London.

• Belfast Historic Waterfront, which stretches along the River Lagan.

• Dudley in the Black Country.

• Orkney Islands, an archipelago of over 70 islands off the most northern coast of Scotland.

• Tameside in Greater Manchester.

• Ynys Môn – Isle of Anglesey in north Wales.

The areas blend urban and rural landscapes, each offering unique heritage assets. Belfast Historic Waterfront, for example, has been a working port for more than 300 years and was once home to the world’s largest shipyard Harland & Wolff which built the ill-fated Titanic.

Maritime Belfast Trust plans to promote this maritime heritage as well as highlighting the area’s potential for strategic investment and cultural transformation. Kerrie Sweeney, the chief executive officer of Maritime Belfast Trust, said: 

“The recognition of the Belfast Historic Waterfront as a Heritage Place represents a generational opportunity to realise the city’s vision for one of our most iconic natural assets, the River Lagan.

“This designation acknowledges the scale and significance of the waterfront’s historic role in shaping Belfast’s growth and identity, and it will support us to unlock potential and create momentum for future regeneration. Through strong partnership working we will protect and celebrate the waterfront’s heritage, inspire new opportunities, connect local communities and shape a sustainable and vibrant future for everyone.” 

Elsewhere, Richard Parker, the mayor of the West Midlands, said the funding would build on existing investment in the metropolitan borough of Dudley’s heritage, such as the Black Country Living Museum.

"As mayor, I believe long-term investment like this is vital for Dudley and for the West Midlands as a whole,” he added. “It will bring people and communities together to protect and celebrate our shared heritage - inspiring pride and driving regeneration, whilst benefiting local people for years to come.”

In Orkney, the funding will support existing heritage projects, such as the Scapa Flow Museum and RSPB’s Native Wildlife initiative, and help sustain the islands’ arts scheme.

Councillor Kristopher Leask, the chair of Orkney Islands Council’s development and infrastructure committee, said: “We have a responsibility to protect Orkney’s past but also plan for our economic future – with our heritage assets squarely at the heart of those plans.”

Similarly, in Ynys Môn, Anglesey Council aims to expand the Island’s heritage offer, ensuring that it can make a significant contribution to local communities and the socio-economic future of the Island. And in Tameside, plans include investment in archives, museums, galleries, parks and green spaces.

Finally, Dominic Twomey, leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, said: “Our borough has a rich and diverse history of natural and built heritage – from Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Roman settlements to an Iron Age Hill Fort, and home to the Dagenham Idol, an extraordinary artefact dating from the Stone Age and the earliest representation of a human being found in the British Isles.

“We’re proud of our borough’s strong industrial history, from the former Short Blue Fishing Fleet of Barking in the 18th Century, to the Ford Motor Company Factory of Dagenham. We built the largest housing estate in Europe, the Becontree Estate in 1921, and we are now a major focus of regeneration with schemes such as Barking Riverside, the Thames Freeport and Eastbrook Film Studios at Dagenham East.

“This support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund is a huge boost and will help us celebrate and protect that heritage, while inspiring local people to connect with and take pride in where they live.”