The Government is investing more than £41m to revive local heritage and faith buildings such as churches, synagogues and town halls.

It is being delivered by Historic England as part of a broader £1.5bn package – the Arts Everywhere Fund, which includes both the Places of Worship Renewal Fund and Heritage at Risk Capital Fund.

According to a Government announcement today, the cash boost will support ‘major restorations’ of heritage sites including Dover Castle, Osborne on the Isle of Wight, and Doncaster’s Brodsworth Hall.

The new Places of Worship Renewal Fund will see over £18m shared between 51 recipients, with the aim of preserving historic places of worship in high-need areas. Among the buildings to benefit from the funding are Birmingham Cathedral, Sir Moses Montefiore Memorial Synagogue and St Elwyn’s Church.

Further funding of almost £13m will be used to help 20 recipients through the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, which is designed to save high-need heritage buildings from at-risk status. Those to receive the funding will include Margate Museum and Old Town Hall, as well as Blackpool’s former Post Office.

It aims to bolster local pride and protect the 74 sites that shape communities.

The order of priority given to locations is being determined by their level of need, as the Government has highlighted that fundraising can be the most challenging in these areas, meaning its support will have the largest impact there.

Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross said: ‘Nothing tells the stories of our nation quite like the historic buildings at the heart of our communities. But too often they are a far cry from their former glory with leaking roofs and crumbling stonework. 

‘Thanks to this funding, the much loved buildings that fill our hometowns with character will be keeping the doors open to communities for years to come.’