Alistair Hardaker
Image: Leighton Hall 2024 (Wood and Co Photography)
Historic Houses report shows 91% of funded projects completed on time and within budget, with 775 jobs protected across member sites.
A new report from Historic Houses has found that 91% of heritage organisations completed Culture Recovery Fund projects within budget and on time, demonstrating effective delivery when trusted with public funding. The research, published five years after the UK Government’s £1.57 billion investment in heritage, arts and culture sectors, reveals the lasting operational impact of the 2020 initiative.
The report, From Crisis to Recovery: the Impact of the Culture Recovery Fund on Independent Heritage Five Years Later, surveyed 89 Historic Houses member places that received CRF support. Respondents received a total of £12.5 million between them, with almost all stating the support had been vital to their survival. Across 35 businesses, 775 jobs were protected, whilst 57% used funding for restoration works of sites that had fallen into disrepair.
Emma Squire CBE and Claudia Kenyatta CBE, Historic England’s Co-CEOs, said: “The Government’s investment in the heritage sector in the exceptional period of the Covid 19 pandemic is paying back, with many precious historic places that were threatened with closure continuing to offer a sense of pride, wonder and connection for us and for generations to come”
Over a third of respondents used the CRF to support staff salaries. Several had already completed preparation for their projects prior to the pandemic, meaning that funding could be effectively utilised on projects that were shovel-ready. The repair backlog across Historic Houses membership doubled to £2 billion, a crisis now exacerbated by rising inflation and the cost-of-living squeeze, Historic Houses said.
Lucy Arthurs, owner of Leighton Hall in Lancashire, said: “Without this funding, not only would we not have our expanded education programme, but we were looking at being unable to pay our staff and maintain this historic building. The CRF support has allowed us to reshape our education offerings, support local businesses such as coach companies bringing visitors to our learning sessions and create a sustainable future for our business.”
Ben Cowell OBE, Historic Houses Director General, said: “We are in different times now, but the lessons are clear: much heritage remains in private hands, and the support shown by the government at that difficult moment was absolutely crucial. We hope the Government will continue to recognise the important role played by private owners in preserving so much precious heritage, not least when it comes to the forthcoming Budget.”
