The Harewood House Trust has secured significant backing from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to deliver the crucial first stage of its landmark Reimagining Harewood master plan.
The initial award marks a major milestone for the historic Leeds estate. The funding will support long-term plans to preserve vital heritage assets, transform on-site accessibility, and create entirely new spaces to welcome and engage visitors from all backgrounds. Made possible by National Lottery players, the grant will focus heavily on transforming Harewood’s Grade II-listed Bakehouse into a state-of-the-art visitor centre designed to make the site vastly easier to access and enjoy.
Once completed, the redeveloped Bakehouse will serve as a welcoming social and interpretation hub. The space will house high-quality accessible facilities, including a Changing Places toilet, alongside a brand-new shop and a café that links directly out to Harewood’s recently opened woodland adventure playscape. Built with sustainability at its core, the project forms a key part of the estate’s wider commitment to a low-carbon, environmentally resilient future.
The surrounding Pleasure Grounds, which connect the main House, the Courtyard, and the Bakehouse, are also set for a major landscaping overhaul. The work will restore the site’s stunning historic vistas while weaving accessible new pathways down to the lakeside.
Crucially, the new visitor centre will provide a dedicated, permanent space for guests to engage directly with Harewood’s complex history, including its historical connections to the transatlantic trade in enslaved individuals. While the Harewood House Trust has actively researched and interpreted this history for more than 30 years, the new hub will provide a highly visible platform to share these findings with the public. To ensure this is handled with care, the grant will fund a brand-new role: Curator of Community Voices. This specialist will collaborate directly with local and descendant communities to shape how these vital stories are told.
The Bakehouse transformation marks just the first phase of the broader Reimagining Harewood programme, which outlines ambitious, multi-year plans to restore and rethink the estate’s wider gardens and parkland. The Trust has already partnered with The Landscape Agency and award-winning garden designer Matthew Wilson to draw up future concepts for the South Garden, aiming to build biodiverse, climate-resilient spaces that help modern audiences connect with the landscape.
Rachel Crewes, CEO at Harewood House Trust, expressed her excitement about the funding: “We are delighted to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players. This investment marks an important next step in our long-term vision for Reimagining Harewood.
“Entering the development phase allows us to undertake essential surveys, planning and community consultation work, ensuring that the project is shaped with input from local communities and key stakeholders. The development phase will run for approximately 18 months, during which we will continue to refine plans and secure additional funding for this transformational project, with the aim of a full completion by 2030.”
Helen Featherstone, Director of England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, added: “We’re delighted to support Harewood House with this initial grant to work towards a strong and resilient future for this significant site. It is fantastic news that Harewood House Trust can now further develop their plans to transform the Bakehouse into a new visitor centre to celebrate the important heritage of the site and improve access for all.”
