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Historic England: Jane Austen's house among heritage sites sharing £35m cash boost

Jane Austen's House Jane Austen's House in Chawton, HampshireJane Austen's House
The house of Jane Austen, who wrote Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, is in Chawton, Hampshire

English heritage sites including the author Jane Austen's House and Hampton Court Palace are set to receive a £35m government funding boost.

Money from the Culture Recovery Fund will be given to 142 selected sites.

It is aimed at helping some of the country's most popular historic places with vital building and repair work, as well as bolstering local economies.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said the funding will help them "build back better from the pandemic".

"From local churches to ancient buildings and landscapes, the UK's unique heritage makes our towns, cities and villages stronger, more vibrant and helps bring communities together," she said.

She added that the funding would help protect sites "for future generations".

Historic Royal Palaces Tudor West Gate at Hampton CourtHistoric Royal Palaces
Improvement works will take place at Hampton Court Palace in London

The grants, administered on behalf of the DCMS by Historic England, will go on protecting listed buildings and repairing churches, cinemas and swimming baths, as well as waterways and wildlife spots.

Also on the list are Birmingham's community-run Moseley Road Baths, St Michael Coslany in Norwich and Leicester Cathedral - where King Richard III is buried.

Duncan Wilson, head of Historic England - the public body which looks after England's historic environment - said the funding was "hugely welcome at a time when the people and organisations who look after our vast and varied array of heritage urgently need support to carry out essential repairs.

"Heritage is a fragile eco-system, with an amazing cast of characters who keep our historic places alive, with specialist skills that take time to learn and experience to perfect," he added.

"These grants will protect their livelihoods, as they use their expertise to help our heritage survive."

The historic Royal Palaces have been offered a grant of £2,707,991 which includes the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace Queen Charlotte's Cottage at Kew.

Sites receiving funding include:

  • Hopwood Hall in Rochdale - £368,000
  • Morecambe's Winter Gardens - £209,000
  • Fort Purbrook in Portsmouth - £207,000
  • Leicester Cathedral - £198,324
  • Muncaster Castle in the Lake District - £198,158
  • Electric Cinema in Harwich, Essex - £151,000
  • St Michael Coslany in Norwich - £137,500
  • The Murston Old Church in Sittingbourne - £108,000
  • Birmingham's Moseley Road Baths - £100,000
  • West Haven Maltings on the Grimsby waterfront - £100,000
  • Jane Austen's House - £85,592
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