We’re delighted to announce that the Society has been awarded a substantial grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the project Modern Heritage, Future Stewards: Transforming the C20 Society for the 21st Century. As the Society approaches its 50th anniversary in 2029, the three year project will launch an extensive public engagement programme and carry out research that will help to define the heritage of the near future. A particular focus will be on the legacy of the many Millennium buildings – both landmark and low-key – that shaped the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, and on inspiring younger audiences to have their say on Britain’s recent architectural history.

Constructed during a period of national optimism and publicly funded regeneration, many Millennium era projects (c.1993-2006) incorporate innovative structural systems, large-span engineering and extensive glazing that now require specialist maintenance. As these buildings approach the 30-year threshold for listing assessment, redevelopment proposals are often advanced before their architectural, historic and social interest has been fully evaluated and so are at risk of being lost before a new generation has had the chance to value them.

In addition the project will strengthen the Society’s membership, Patrons programme, governance, and establish a core fundraising culture at board and staff level; enabling sustainable future growth and increasing financial resilience.

The news of the Lottery Fund grant comes at a time when the Society is increasingly looking to the future. In July 2026, 100 21st Century Buildings was published with Batsford, and our Autumn Lecture Series on the same theme runs throughout October and November. In 2024 we launched Coming of Age; an annual initiative celebrating the best of British architecture at the point it turns 30 years old, while our most recent Risk List campaign features no less than three Millennium-era buildings under threat. A steady increase in the number of 21st century buildings assessed by the Society’s casework team and the resulting listing applications, is a further indication that the first post-2000 designation may arrive sooner rather than later. [N.B. The youngest listed building in Britain is currently Sphinx Hill, Oxfordshire – John Outram Associates, 1999]

Comments

Catherine Croft, Director of the Twentieth Century Society:

“I am extremely grateful to the Lottery Fund for this generous grant and look forward to expanding our committed and enthusiastic core team, as we embark upon an exciting new chapter in the Society’s history.

The Millennium and the early twenty-first century represented a moment of remarkable national optimism and cultural confidence, that’s reflected in a rich and varied architectural legacy. The time to begin assessing and defining the heritage of this period is now upon us: the debate starts here!”

Recruitment: Join us!

As part of  the Modern Heritage, Future Stewards project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we are recruiting two new members of staff.  The Society is looking for an experienced Membership Manager to lead our membership strategy and audience engagement and an experienced Fundraising Manager to lead our fundraising development.

They will join our small team in Farringdon on fixed-term part-time contracts. Both are key roles delivering the project and will report to a Project Board, with day-to-day support from the Director.

Click here for more information and to apply. The closing date for applications is midnight on Monday 30 November.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.