War Memorials Trust

Grants for War Memorials (England)

Historic England's grant scheme for repair and conservation works to freestanding war memorials in England, from any conflict, managed on its behalf by War Memorials Trust. Grants are normally awarded at 50% of eligible costs, with the proportion rising the worse the memorial's condition; the minimum award is normally GBP 125. There is no separate application route — everyone starts with a Grants Pre-application form and the Trust allocates eligible projects to whichever of its schemes fits. Funding is competitive and being eligible does not mean a grant will be made.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £125 – £20,000
Closes in: 13 days left; 31 October
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

Anyone — individuals or organisations, including councils
The memorial itself must be a freestanding war memorial or designed landscape in England, marking any conflict
If you are not legally responsible for the memorial you must provide written proof of the custodian's consent to carry out the proposed works, and that consent should include a willingness to allow public access
If ownership is unknown you must show you have taken reasonable steps to trace the owner, including checking with the local authority, carrying out local land registry searches and advertising in the local press
Priority is assessed on the memorial's condition as recorded on War Memorials Online — the Trust's high priority cases are those it agrees are in Very bad condition, medium priority reflects Poor condition, low priority Fair condition, and memorials in Good condition are unlikely to be eligible
Because public money funds part of the scheme, appropriate procurement is required: two or three quotes or tenders depending on project size
Grant assessment is competitive and being eligible does not mean a grant will be made

What it funds

Repair and conservation works following best conservation practice:

Conservation
Like-for-like repair
Structural repair and stabilisation
Reinstatement of lost elements that form an integral part of the design
Professional condition surveys and structural reports by conservation-accredited professionals such as an architect, chartered architectural technologist, building surveyor, structural engineer or conservator

The wider guidance also covers cleaning in defined circumstances, replacements and reinstatement, access, physical additions, relocation where the memorial is at risk or inaccessible, and works or alterations to names and inscriptions.

What it will not fund

Creation of new war memorials — those which have never existed before
Replacement of memorials which have already been replaced once
Memorials which are not war memorials, or types of war memorial not deemed eligible
Graves of any type, and Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorials or graves
General maintenance — work that should be done on a regular basis, such as small amounts of re-pointing or cleaning of low levels of dirt
Repetitive cleaning, or cleaning for reasons outside the guidance
Electrification of clocks, organs or bells where this was not the original system, unless the original cannot be repaired or replaced like-for-like
Military or remembrance service items next to or attached to the memorial, such as flagpoles and wreath holders
Moveable objects in the vicinity, such as flower pots
Buildings a war memorial is attached to but which are not war memorials themselves, such as a chapel containing a memorial plaque
General signage or interpretation boards about the war memorial
Addition of commemorative plaques or inscriptions, such as those marking an anniversary, a conservation project or donors
Reconstruction not based on firm historical evidence
Replacements in a style or material at odds with the original or existing design, such as replacing limestone plaques with granite
Replacements for aesthetic reasons only
New features or physical additions at odds with the design — lighting, new structures, painting originally unpainted inscriptions; railings only where there is a clear vandalism need
Relocation of memorials that are neither at risk nor completely inaccessible
Works to memorials previously grant-aided by the Trust where the current works result from a lack of maintenance, or are a re-application for the same works
Charges to obtain quotes from contractors
Educational projects around war memorials
Inappropriate work or methods, and applications to more than one Trust-administered scheme for the same work
Work that has already started, fini…

How to apply

Read the 'What we can and cannot fund' helpsheet and the 'Definition of a war memorial for funding purposes' helpsheet to check your project is eligible
Submit a Grants Pre-application form to start your funding enquiry — you cannot get an Application Form until the Trust has assessed this
Start your Application Form once the Trust sends it, following the advice its Conservation Officer gave in response to the pre-application
Find a contractor, following the Trust's guidance on conservation contractors
Get comparable quotes or tenders — two or three depending on the total cost of your project
Gather the supporting information listed below
Submit the completed Application Form before a deadline date, ideally well in advance so the Trust can review it and ask for anything missing

there is no separate process for the Historic England scheme — the Trust allocates eligible projects to whichever of its schemes fits during assessment, so all information must be accurate and complete

an application is only treated as submitted once all required information has been provided, and last-minute applications are often deferred for that reason

Have ready

A map showing the location of the war memorial at street level
A copy of the owner's permission to carry out works, if you are not the owner
Copies of documents relating to the history of the war memorial, written and photographic where available
Copies of documentation relating to permission for the proposed work where applicable — Listed Building Consent, Conservation Area Consent, Scheduled Monument Consent, Planning Permission, Faculty or other ecclesiastical permission
A set of good quality recent colour photographs clearly showing the problems, since the Trust cannot visit every memorial and will not fund a problem it cannot see
Copies of quotes or tenders describing the methods, treatments and products for all proposed works
Copies of any architectural drawings, surveys, condition reports, specifications or other expert advice, if relevant

an up-to-date condition assessment and photographs on War Memorials Online will speed up your enquiry and are used in the priority assessment

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