Six major projects get £68m cash boost from HLF

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced initial support worth £68m for six major projects in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The projects include £9.1m for Silverstone, Northamptonshires home of British motor racing, including £446,000 development funding.

The British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) put together plans to showcase the worlds only race circuit that is owned by a not-for-profit organisation. Proposals include: housing the BRDCs extensive archive collection; recording oral histories from former competitors such as Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss and Lady Christabel Watson; and redeveloping the sites visitor entrance as a heritage hub.

Another attraction to benefit from the funding is HMS Caroline, the last surviving warship of the First World War fleet, in Belfasts Titanic Quarter. The HMS Caroline will receive £12.2m, including £845,600 development funding.

The warship will be transformed into a visitor attraction where people can learn more about 20th-century naval history. With a focus on its relationship to the people of Northern Ireland, it is set to become a key part of the Titanic Quarter development. The National Museum of the Royal Navy plans to complete the project in time for the Battle of Jutland centenary in 2016.

Alexandra Palace will receive £16.8m to restore historically significant areas including the BBC Studios and the Victorian Theatre, which will be re-opened to the public.

Auckland Castle will get £10m including £1m development funding. Sitting on the banks of the River Wear, the 800-year-old project will see the building fully restored and open to the public for the first time.

The HLF has allocated £10m to Aberdeen Art Gallery that will be redeveloped to create a world-class cultural centre, adding a new rooftop gallery.

Cornwall is to receive £9.8m support for a new Kresen Kernow archive centre that will bring together dispersed collections that document Cornwalls heritage. It is to be created in the heart of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, conserving historic brewery buildings in Redruth and providing improved storage, collections care and access, as well as exhibition spaces and a learning studio for schools and community groups.