A number of key heritage projects in London have received confirmed Heritage Lottery Fund grants worth a total of £4.4m.
Covering seven of the capital's boroughs, they include £813,000 to the Sir John Soane's museum project to restore and open Soane's private apartments to the public for the first time since 1837, as well as improving circulation within the building and providing better disabled access.
In Lambeth, the Grade II*-listed, Brixton Windmill Restoration Project has received almost £400,000. The work will allow the public to once again access the mill's interior, while a programme of educational activities will be organised and an audio-visual presentation on the ground floor will show the mechanical parts of the mill in operation.
Back north of the Thames, a five-year archival project at Haringey's George Padmore Institute will benefit from a £206,000 award and see more than 1,300 files and 460 books belonging to founding chairman, John La Rose being properly sorted, catalogued and made available on-line.
The Grade I-listed, 17th century Forty Hall in Enfield has received just over £1.8m towards restoration work and the creation of a visitor development programme and education opportunities. A further focus of the work will be interpreting the remains of Elsyng Palace, a 'lost' Tudor structure whose archaeological traces are found in the estate.
In Sutton, Honeywood House, a 17th century, Grade II-listed building and the borough's principal museum, is to receive a little under £335,000 for minor restoration and repair to the property, a complete overhaul of the way in which artefacts are displayed and interpreted, and a varied education programme.
Severndroog Castle Restoration and Development in Greenwich has been awarded £595,500 for repair and restoration of the structure as a visitor attraction, educational centre and tea room. A triangular, three-storey, GradeII*-listed castle on top of Shooters Hill, the castle was built in 1784 and commemorates a long-forgotten British naval victory against pirates marauding in the Indian Ocean.
Finally, a historic Walker organ dating from 1912 and situated in the Roman Catholic church of the Sacred Heart on Wimbledon Hill in Merton, has been granted £237,000 for full restoration and the creation of two organ restoration apprenticeships. There will also be an exhibition, website and film detailing the organ's history and repair process.
Wesley Kerr, chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for London said: "This astonishing array of places and projects reminds us that every London borough is steeped in history.
"These awards will make that history more accessible to millions of people by broadening horizons and opening opportunities. We are thrilled to support these projects which demonstrate how central heritage is to London's economy and spirit in all its wonderful immensity."
Pic: Severndroog Castle in Greenwich
