The impact of the Historic Environment Fund Revival Stream

Revival application projects supported in 2025-26

Listed below are the 11 Revival application projects supported in 2025-26, amounting to £91,581.

Please note that the official figure reported may differ. This arises from our year‑end accounting procedures, whereby variations in accruals carried forward from previous financial years can affect the final outturn.

Project title	Applicant
Dromore Heritage at Risk	Armagh Banbridge & Craigavon BC
Living Heritage: Past, Present & Future	CITB NI
Newry Canal Conservation: Tree Clearance Project	Inland Waterways Association of Ireland Newry/Portadown branch
Lisnamallard house & grounds conservation management plan	Fermanagh & Omagh DC
Heritage Skills Roadshow - Bringing People, places & potential together	Newry, Mourne & Down DC
Celebrating the heritage of Sperrin AONB	Mid Ulster DC
Essential Networks Northern Ireland	Heritage Network
Coleraine Town Heritage Guide	Causeway Coast & Glens DC
Belfast's Historic Cemeteries	Belfast City Council
Clogher to Clones Ancient Pilgrim Route	Clogher Community Village Forum
Re-integration of Donaghmore High Cross into village life (Awaiting Letter of Offer as of December 2025)	Donaghmore Historical Society

Further information on these Revival applications can be found below.

Armagh Banbridge & Craigavon BC - Dromore Heritage at Risk 

Carrying out a survey of key derelict buildings in Dromore with the aim to assess the extent of neglect and determine the level of intervention required for their preservation and potential revival.

CITB NI - Living Heritage: Past, Present & Future 

This project was designed to meaningfully connect people with built heritage, and focus on importance in engaging with the past, enriching our present, and meeting future challenges of climate change. The overall aim was to encourage that heritage is for all and can benefit all. The project engaged with the general public and those in the construction industry, to stimulate tourism to heritage sites and equip industry professionals with the appropriate expertise to conserve and future proof our built environment.

Inland Waterways Association of Ireland Newry/Portadown branch - Newry Canal Conservation: Tree Clearance Project 

The Newry Canal Conservation Tree Clearance Project protected and conserved Newry Canal by removing fallen trees and broken branches causing bank and bed erosion. This work helped to contain water flow within the existing canal banks, preventing further damage to the historic waterway. The removal of these obstacles also improved the watercourse and prevented the build-up of monoculture weeds, which can occur in areas of affected flow.

Fermanagh & Omagh DC - Lisnamallard house & grounds conservation management plan 

The overall goal of this project was to prepare a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for Lisnamallard House, a B1 listed Georgian House set within a Grade A Registered Historic Park, Garden and Demesne in Omagh. The CMP provided a comprehensive, evidence-based framework to guide the conservation, maintenance, and sustainable reuse of the property, helping to safeguard one of the town’s most significant heritage assets. 

Newry, Mourne & Down DC - Heritage Skills Roadshow - Bringing People, places & potential together 

The Heritage Skills Roadshow was a travelling outreach initiative. The pilot scheme was delivered in two conservation areas – Killough and Rostrevor. It offered training and advice in convenient and approachable ways through live demonstrations, practical workshops, one-to-one sessions and resources. The Roadshow provided accessible advice on traditional buildings skills, maintenance, planning regulations, funding opportunities and relevant case studies. It built local heritage networks to improve community capacity, promoted active stewardship and encouraged initiatives.

Mid Ulster DC - Celebrating the heritage of Sperrin AONB 

The goal of this project was to celebrate, conserve, and enhance the unique heritage of Sperrin Area of Natural Beauty, creating greater awareness and appreciation of its historic environment via a conference, site tours and workshops promoting traditional craft skills. 

Heritage Network - Essential Networks Northern Ireland 

The goal of the project was to develop the capacity and standing of not-for-profit heritage and community organisations in Northern Ireland, to enable them to be more effective in preserving, re-using and managing local heritage to deliver social and economic benefit. The project also supported young people building careers in heritage.

Causeway Coast & Glens DC - Coleraine Town Heritage Guide 

The project developed a town heritage trail which promoted Coleraine. The project involved the production of an illustrated booklet using buildings in the town centre to tell the commercial, industrial and social history of Coleraine. 

An accompanying portable 3D model of the town centre was also produced.

Belfast City Council - Belfast's Historic Cemeteries 

The overall goal of this project was to safeguard and restore Belfast’s historic cemeteries—Friar’s Bush, and Balmoral—by preparing detailed conservation-led designs that will enable full capital restoration. 

Clogher Community Village Forum (Sean McCaughey) - Clogher to Clones Ancient Pilgrim Route 

This project set out to research an Ancient Pilgrim Route first outlined on a 1693 map to develop a heritage trail. Clogher Forum identified the Northern part of the route with links to local heritage sites. Research revealed that the sites at Cullamore, Derrydrummond and Lismore required new signage, information boards and access gates. The goal of the project was to design & supply durable replacement interpretive panels, signage, posts and access gates appropriate for environment of each of the sites.

Donaghmore Historical Society - Re-integration of Donaghmore High Cross into village life 

The development of a proposal to allow better access and presentation of Donaghmore High Cross that respects its setting and the archaeological considerations pertaining to the proposal.

Previous projects

District councils

Support has been provided by the Department to two district councils (Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council & Derry City and Strabane Borough Council) to develop projects to highlight the importance of maintenance for historic buildings. Both were very creative and successful, producing materials, seminars, and publishing guides on practical work to buildings.

The value of heritage

Investment has been made over several years in supporting Ulster Architectural Heritage to set up and develop the Heritage Angels Awards 2024 the NI part of a UK wide project principally funded by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. The application and ceremony process highlighted the contribution of dedicated individuals across a range of categories and was enhanced by an innovative partnership between the Ulster Architectural Heritage and the arts sector to deliver associated songs, poetry, and presentations. We also invested in an additional award to highlight good maintenance work on behalf of the Historic Buildings Council.

Support was also provided in 2021 to the Council for British Archaeology for its Archaeology Achievement Awards.

Archaeology

Examples of Revival projects include community archaeology related work. Much of this was the result of pre-engagement and encouragement by our archaeologists and most proposals were supported. This resulted in the delivery of a number of projects two of which were later the recipients of awards (‘Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits - mapping the landscape’, and ‘Homes fit for Hero’s mapping the landscape of Cleenish Island’s ex-servicemen resettlement programme’).

Projects were also supported to involve a community in building a replica of a Neolithic longhouse in Creggan Co Tyrone, research the location of homes of Presbyterians along the Bann valley who left in the first wave of migration to America in 1718, and a project to research, remove vegetation and present the old church at Magheradrool near Ballynahinch, Co Down. In 2019, a project to consider the landscape of Boom Hall, site of the famous boom at the Siege of Derry was supported.

Heritage and the arts

The European Year of Cultural Heritage in 2018 provided an opportunity for the Department to partner with Tourism NI and the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to support innovative partnership projects that linked heritage with the arts. Each partner contributed £100,000 to a fund that was supplemented and managed by NLHF to support 16 projects. This support was issued outside of the Historic Environment Fund, but £13,500 from the Revival Stream was used to support a third of the cost of a joint conference the following year to consider the lessons emerging and the potential for future partnership working. Much innovation emerged from this work, particularly in relation to the digital enhancement of sites.

Thematic Revival projects

Two groups have been supported by the Department to celebrate and highlight issues faced by the owners of vernacular buildings. One council developed a programme to examine the issues faced by historic graveyards, an area underrepresented in standard guidance and where many councils (the landowners of many such sites) have health and safety concerns. Support was provided for a seminar on defence heritage and, as part of heritage skills engagement, to deliver a seminar to builders in partnership with Chartered Institute of Building encouraging heritage accreditation and training. A seminar with UK archaeologists promoting training for the profession was also supported.

In 2024, the Department Supported CITB to produce infographics and training on the theme of ‘Older Buildings for a Greener Future’.