Six heritage projects get lottery fund boost

The restoration of World War I ship HMS Caroline in Belfast is one of the projects

Lottery money has been given to six major heritage schemes totalling £68m to help them push forward with full plans for funding to preserve sites.

They include £9.1m plans at Silverstone motor racing circuit, Northamptonshire, and a £16.8m project at the former BBC studios at Alexandra Palace in London.

The six proposals will each receive hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Heritage Lottery Fund chairwoman Dame Jenny Abramsky said the projects were "hugely deserving" of support.

The Silverstone project is to preserve its motor racing heritage, while the Alexandra Palace scheme is to restore and re-open the BBC studios' Victorian theatre.

There is also a £12.2m bid to transform the last surviving ship from the Battle of Jutland in World War I, HMS Caroline, into a visitor attraction in Belfast's Titanic Quarter.

'Tell stories'

A £9.8m project would develop a new archive centre documenting Cornwall's heritage at a historic brewery in Redruth.

Some £10m is required for the redevelopment of Aberdeen Art Gallery.

Plans to restore and open 800-year-old Auckland Castle in County Durham to the public are also put at £10m.

The castle has a collection of paintings by 17th Century Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbaran.

Former motor racing champion Sir Jackie Stewart welcomed the financial backing for the proposals at Silverstone, where he won the British Grand Prix in 1969 and 1971.

He said: "This grant is hugely important as a first step in helping the British Racing Drivers' Club and Silverstone to ensure that the heritage of British motor sport can reach a far wider audience than before and cements its importance for future generations."

Dame Jenny added: "From Cornish tin mining, to the development of motor racing and the history of broadcasting, these projects all reflect a real desire to tell the stories of important aspects of the UK's heritage and as such we felt they were hugely deserving of the Heritage Lottery Fund's support."