Advice and publications

The AHF plays a strong development role by encouraging and advising on the formation of building preservation trusts, and providing relevant guidance throughout the duration of an AHF-funded project. It maintains a register of ‘revolving fund’ BPTs – those established to undertake a programme of projects by acquiring, repairing and then disposing of buildings worthy of preservation – and provides a standard governing document, recognised by the Charity Commission in England & Wales, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and the Inland Revenue in Northern Ireland, for such trusts. Most revolving fund BPTs work within defined geographical areas, usually specific towns or counties. The AHF can put you in touch with BPTs active in a particular area.

Publications and information sheets

Several publications are available from the AHF (free of charge unless otherwise indicated):

Detailed Guidance Notes for Applicants for the following AHF financial programmes:

• Options Appraisal Grants Guidance Notes (and application form)
• Loans Guidance Notes (and application form)
• Project Development Grants Guidance Notes (and application form)
• Refundable project development grants - please speak to a member of the AHF’s Projects Team about the availability of this grant.

Building Preservation Trusts (information sheet).

A Future From the Past (AHF information leaflet).

Model Memorandum and Articles of Association for a Building Preservation Trust, with accompanying notes for England & Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland - see setting up a charity. If you would like a copy as a Word file (which can be amended to produce the final documents) by e-mail free or as a hard copy by post, please contact the AHF.

Funds for Historic Buildings. This publication is free as a searchable database at www.ffhb.org.uk) - see sources of funds.

Fully illustrated Annual Review:

2006-2007 Annual Review

2007-2008 Annual Review

2008-2009 Annual Review

The Annual Review is sent free to Friends - see supporting the AHF.

How to Rescue a Ruin - by setting up a local buildings preservation trust by Hilary Weir - the AHF's guide to rescuing historic buildings on a not-for-profit basis (£8.00 inc p&p)

Statutory Report and Financial Statements.

Please contact the AHF if you would like to know more, or to order free publications. If you wish to order publications that are not free of charge, please send a cheque, payable to the Architectural Heritage Fund.

Anyone running a building restoration project would find the Guidance Notes published by the Association of Preservation Trusts (APT) very useful. These are available free to members of APT and £65 (plus p&p) to non-members; please send a cheque, payable to the Association of Preservation Trusts, to Alhambra House, 27-31 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0AU.

Report on the impacts of heritage-led regeneration on communities commissioned by the Agencies Co-ordinating Group (The Architectural Heritage Fund, The Civic Trust, Institute of Historic Building Conservation, The Prince’s Regeneration Trust and the UK Association of Preservation Trusts)
Launched at the 'Place, Space and Conservation' conference in Manchester in 2008 this Report, commissioned by the Agencies Co-ordinating Group (The Architectural Heritage Fund, The Civic Trust, Institute of Historic Buildings Conservation, The Prince's Regeneration Trust and the UK Association of Preservation Trusts) and written by Ela Palmer, looks at the impacts of heritage-led regeneration on communities, and highlights some significant findings from examples throughout the UK. The Executive Summary (7.37MB) is also available on this website.

Sites Insight
To mark its 30th anniversary, the AHF asked 12 public figures to write on the subject of what matters to them about the UK’s heritage – its historic buildings and landscapes. The people chosen are well-known in their own fields – the media, politics, the arts, sport and business, but not generally associated with heritage, and their responses to the commission are passionate and hugely diverse. (Sites Insight was launched in November 2006 and is available from the AHF, £9.99 inc p&p.)

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