Ancoats Buildings Preservation Trust (now Heritage Works) was established in 1995 as a registered charity with the aim of regenerating historic buildings in Ancoats whose cost of repair is uneconomic for the private sector. Working with a range of partners, ABPT is able to acquire, refurbish and resell (or lease), often operating as a 'developer of last resort'.
With the completion of two major projects in the Ancoats area - St Peter's and Murray's Mills - and with the encouragement of English Heritage and the support of the Charity Commission, Ancoats BPT transformed itself into Heritage Works BPT in January 2007, undertaking new projects further afield than Ancoats.
Ancoats, the world's first industrial suburb, forms part of a potential World Heritage Site and its buildings include former cotton spinning mills, housing, community facilities and commercial buildings of every period from the 1790s.
Following decades of post-industrial decline, Ancoats is now being brought back to life as an urban village. Funding for the restoration and reuse of historic buildings in ABPT's care was secured from sources such as English Heritage, the heritage Lottery Fund, charitable trusts and the European Union. 14 million pounds was secured for the repair and regeneration of ABPT's two major projects: St Peter's and Murray's Mills.
In addition to overseeing the physical regeneration of the Ancoats area, ABPT developed an educational outreach project. "Skills, Schools & Stories" was an integrated programme of activities designed to provide opportunities for people of all ages to get involved in the restoration of Murray's Mills and the regeneration of Ancoats.
ABPT received revenue funding to support its office and staff costs from charitable trusts and public funding sources. It also received project management fees from the Northwest Development Agency for the Murray's Mills and St Peter's projects.
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