Historic England’s new £15m rescue fund backs 37 community heritage sites with tight delivery deadline

A one‑year, £15 million Heritage at Risk Capital Fund has awarded grants to 37 at‑risk sites across England to secure historic buildings that serve disadvantaged communities. London beneficiaries include St Mary the Virgin in Somers Town (£639,064) for urgent fabric repairs and the Greenhouse Centre in Marylebone (£663,100) to complete structural and fire‑safety works and reopen as a youth and community hub. Historic England says projects must typically be completed with matched funding and all grant money spent by March 2026, creating pressure to move quickly from award to works.

The Church of St Mary the Virgin in Somers Town and the Greenhouse Centre in Marylebone are among 37 at‑risk heritage sites across England to receive money from Historic England’s new Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, a one‑year, £15 million programme aimed at rescuing buildings that serve disadvantaged communities. St Mary’s has been awarded £639,064 to address urgent fabric repairs, while the Greenhouse Centre will receive £663,100 to complete structural upgrades and safety works that will allow it to reopen as a youth and community hub.

St Mary the Virgin, the Grade II‑listed Gothic church on Eversholt Street long embedded in the Somers Town community, has been under protective scaffolding while its west front awaits conservation. According to local reporting and church notices, the grant will pay for masonry, brickwork and joinery repairs, repointing, cleaning and drainage improvements intended to stabilise the building, prevent closure or demolition and allow further phases of restoration to be planned so it can continue as a place of worship and community support.

The Greenhouse Centre, a converted 17th‑century church in Cosway Street that was remodelled as a youth sports and wellbeing space in 2018, closed in 2021 after serious structural defects. The charity behind the project says a multi‑year restoration has already included roof replacement, foundation reinforcement and extensive window and stonework repairs; the new grant is earmarked to strengthen the main floor, install modern fire‑protection systems and complete the conservation work needed for the Centre to reopen and expand its outreach to young people living in poverty.

The fund is being delivered by Historic England with backing from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and forms part of the wider Arts Everywhere Fund and the government’s Plan for Change. Historic England’s published guidance describes the scheme as a short, targeted intervention for assets at risk in the most deprived areas, with typical awards between about £200,000 and £800,000 and conditions around public access, procurement and match funding. Projects awarded through this round must spend their grants by March 2026, under the fund’s timetable.

Historic England and ministers framed the intervention in social as well as heritage terms. Louise Brennan, director of regions at Historic England, said in a statement carried by the agency that the extra funding will “breathe new life into neglected historic buildings that we haven’t been able to help through our existing grant schemes.” The heritage minister, Baroness Twycross, told a government press release that the programme is intended to “breathe new life into treasured places, buildings and monuments across the country, helping to increase opportunities and ensuring that future generations have access to our rich heritage.”

Officials and the programme literature emphasise wider community and economic benefits: the scheme prioritises projects that can deliver jobs, local services and longer‑term community value as well as repair work. At the same time, the compressed delivery window and expectations of match funding mean recipients must move quickly to translate awards into completed works or later phases of restoration, a point underlined by local organisations planning follow‑on fundraising and conservation phases.

Taken together, the 37 awards underline a targeted attempt to prevent further loss of local heritage by prioritising sites that can deliver social as well as conservation outcomes. For congregations and community groups in Somers Town and Marylebone, the injections of capital offer a practical route out of prolonged uncertainty and a chance to reopen historic spaces for worship, sport, wellbeing and neighbourhood activity.

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Source: Noah Wire Services

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score:
8

Notes:
The narrative reports on a recent £15 million funding initiative by Historic England, announced on 7 August 2025, to support 37 at-risk heritage sites across England. The earliest known publication date of similar content is 7 August 2025, indicating the information is current. The narrative includes updated data but recycles older material, which may justify a higher freshness score but should still be flagged. The content is not republished across low-quality sites or clickbait networks. The narrative is based on a press release, which typically warrants a high freshness score. ([governmentbusiness.co.uk](https://governmentbusiness.co.uk/news/07082025/%C2%A315-million-37-local-heritage-sites?utm_source=openai))

Quotes check

Score:
9

Notes:
The narrative includes direct quotes from Louise Brennan, director of regions at Historic England, and Baroness Twycross, heritage minister. A search for the earliest known usage of these quotes indicates they are original to this release. No identical quotes appear in earlier material, suggesting the content is original.

Source reliability

Score:
10

Notes:
The narrative originates from the Hampstead & Highgate Express, a reputable local news outlet. The information is corroborated by other reputable sources, including government publications and the Architectural Heritage Fund. ([ahfund.org.uk](https://ahfund.org.uk/news/latest/success-for-14-ahf-supported-projects-in-historic-englands-heritage-at-risk-capital-fund/?utm_source=openai))

Plausability check

Score:
10

Notes:
The claims made in the narrative are plausible and supported by multiple reputable sources. The funding initiative aligns with Historic England’s objectives to support at-risk heritage sites, particularly in deprived communities. The narrative includes specific details about the funding amounts and intended uses, which are consistent with other reports. ([historicengland.org.uk](https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/grants/our-grant-schemes/heritage-at-risk-capital-fund/?utm_source=openai))

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary:
The narrative provides current and original information about Historic England’s £15 million funding initiative for 37 at-risk heritage sites. The quotes are original, and the source is reputable. The claims are plausible and supported by multiple reputable sources.