In May, Historic England published its latest Heritage Investmant Prospectus,which includes several industrial heritage sites. The prospectus highlights 20 historic sites where owners are actively seeking investment partners or buyers, alongside examples of where empty historic buildings have been successfully transformed into homes.

Historic England research shows that by taking the potential of these buildings and using them to shape future neighbourhoods they can continue to contribute to our identity and sense of belonging. 

The industrial heritage sites included within the 2026 heritage investment prospectus are:

• Bass Maltings. The Bass Maltings complex in Sleaford, completed in 1907, is the largest group of floor maltings ever built in England. The site is unique in terms of scale, technological innovation, impact on the landscape, and exceptional build quality.
• Cliff Brewery, Ipswich. Tolly Cobbold Brewery is a striking industrial building dating from 1896, designed by pioneering architect William Bradford. The site was in continuous use until brewing ceased in 2002; it has been vacant and deteriorating since.
• Leagrams Mill. A former Bradford textile mill which is part of a larger mill complex. The mills were built in 1873 to the architectural designs of Lockwood & Mawson, for George Hodgson, a loom manufacturer.
• Northlights Building and V Building. Built in 1910-12 in Tuckingmill, near Camborne in Cornwall, within the UNSECO Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site and contribute to the region’s rich industrial and mining heritage.
• Oakwood Mill. Constructed in 1856, in Stalybridge, as a warehouse, together with an adjacent engine shed/boiler house and chimney. The surviving structures are a prominent local landmark and are therefore significant in heritage terms, despite their poor condition
• Trinity House Buoy Shed. The building was designed and built for the storage and maintenance of the buoys and navigational aids used on the Humber Estuary. In use from the early 1900s, it is a rare example of this building type
• Smethwick Enterprise Centre. The history of Rolfe Street is closely tied to the construction of the Birmingham Old Main Line canal in the Georgian period, and the Crown Forge occupies a large part of the site. The owner, Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, is promoting the site as an opportunity for developers to bring forward a high-quality scheme which revitalises the nearby historic assets and delivers new housing as a joint venture with the Council.
• Wadworth Brewery, Devizes, Wiltshire. The Wadworth Brewery was founded in 1875 by Henry Alfred Wadworth and remains an independent family-owned brewery, now operating from a new site.

For the full prospectus, which includes examples of successful regeneration at Terry’s Chocolate Factory in York and Stanley Dock in Liverpool, follow this link: Historic England Heritage Investment Prospectus 2026