Welsh buildings included in Architectural Heritage Fund list

Nation Cymru staff

Five architectural projects including Britain’s finest surviving workhouse have been announced as some of the standout projects which have been celebrated by the Architectural Heritage Fund as part of their 50th anniversary.

The Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) has today announced 25 standout projects as part of its 50 year celebrations.

Shining a spotlight on the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF)’s half-century of pivotal work, the rundown reveals the remarkable breadth of work that has been undertaken, and some of the unique projects whose story may have been so different without the  support they’ve received.

This diverse selection of projects stretches across the UK and illustrates what half a century of heritage-led regeneration looks like in practice.

Covering all four nations, the 25 projects have been arranged into five regional groups: Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, North & Midlands and London & South.

Spanning five decades of AHF activity, they range from medieval stone forts and Victorian courthouses to industrial potteries, seaside piers and arts venues created within redundant warehouses. Combined, they tell a story of historic buildings that might otherwise have been lost, given new purpose by the communities that love them.

No two projects in the selection are alike. In Belfast, Riddel’s Warehouse is a four-storey Victorian ironmongery warehouse with a spectacular cast iron atrium that is being transformed into a multi-use arts venue and coworking hub, rescued from the Buildings at Risk Register after years of disuse.

Kinning Park Complex, located in Glasgow’s Southside, was a former Edwardian school famously occupied by local mothers for 55 days to prevent its closure, which has been restored as a thriving space for dance groups, artists, musicians and community projects.

In the Lake District, Grizedale Arts used AHF support to bring a listed Cumbrian pub back to life as a hybrid community venue and arts centre.

Jubilee Pool in Penzance became the first lido in the UK to be heated by a geothermal well, which is now open year-round and saving over 500 tonnes of CO2 annually.

At Penarth Pier Pavilion in the Vale of Glamorgan, a cherished Victorian seaside landmark has been secured for Wales, while Lissan House in County Tyrone is a 17th-century plantation house entirely volunteer-run on its 260-acre estate.

The selection also takes in Middleport Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, where Burleigh pottery has been preserved as a working heritage attraction; the Llanfyllin Workhouse in Mid-Wales, Britain’s finest surviving New Poor Law workhouse and now a community enterprise with a café, bunkhouse and events space; and the Observer Building in Hastings, a seven-storey 1924 printworks reborn as affordable workspace and housing in one of England’s most deprived coastal towns.

Welsh architectural gems on the list

Penarth Pier Pavilion

Penarth Pier is a Victorian-era pier in the Vale of Glamorgan opened in 1895, with its concrete pavilion having served over the years as a concert hall, ballroom, and cinema.

The AHF has supported efforts to restore and sustain this landmark seafront building, helping to secure its future as a community cultural venue on the South Wales coast.

Ty’n Llan

The AHF supported this historic Welsh building as part of its broader programme to help communities find sustainable new uses for historic structures.

Ty’n Llan (Church House) is a historic property in Wales assisted by AHF grants towards viability and development planning for community-focused reuse.

Lower Treginnis Farm

Situated at the most westerly point of the Welsh coastline, commanding views of St David’s Head, Ramsey Island, and St Bride’s Bay in Pembrokeshire.

The AHF supported the project to ensure this historic farm property could be preserved and brought into sustainable community use, protecting an exceptional piece of the Welsh coastal heritage landscape.

Llanfyllin Workhouse

Known as Y Dolydd, this Grade II* listed stone building near Llanfyllin in Mid-Wales is Britain’s finest surviving example of a workhouse built under the New Poor Law of 1834.

The Llanfyllin Dolydd Building Preservation Trust purchased it with AHF support in 2004 when it stood abandoned and derelict. The site has since been gradually restored into a community enterprise with bunkhouse accommodation, a café-bar, a gallery, and a small museum.

Former St Luke’s Church

The AHF supported this redundant Welsh church building through grants enabling feasibility and development work, with the aim of finding a new community use for this locally significant historic place of worship.

“At the heart of regeneration”

Matthew Mckeague, Chief Executive of the Architectural Heritage Fund, said: “For fifty years, the AHF has worked alongside communities to give new life to historic buildings and to ensure that heritage remains at the heart of regeneration.

“These 25 projects are a snapshot of what that looks like across the UK. They are hugely different in scale, age and what they’ve become, while all sharing a similar spirit.

“They are united by the fact that local communities saw potential in a building that others had given up on, and found a way to bring it back.”

Fiona Ruth Twycross, Baroness Twycross, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Museums, Heritage and Gambling said: “Heritage is there to be used, not just admired.

“The Architectural Heritage Fund champions the impact of heritage and community led-regeneration. And is often the first point of contact for community groups seeking to rescue local historic sites and buildings.

“The AHF is there through every step of the way, providing advice, loans and grants to local communities to help create new futures for these historic buildings.”

Since its foundation in 1976, the AHF has supported 2,432 projects across the UK, awarding 3,079 grants and loans with a combined value of over £182 million.

The 25 projects form part of a wider programme, which includes a touring exhibition visiting Belfast, Glasgow, Cardiff, and London, a flagship conference in London in Summer 2026, and the launch of a refreshed visual identity and website.

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