Airbnb has made a £1.25m donation to English Heritage, supporting the charity’s conservation and repair of historic houses, castles, abbeys and other ancient sites in its care. 

English Heritage looks after more than 400 historic sites across England, from Stonehenge to Hadrian’s Wall, Dover Castle to the York Cold War Bunker, and as a registered charity, relies on donation support to protect the future of these iconic sites.

The donation follows the launch of Airbnb’s new historic homes category in July and a surge of interest in traditional and historic places to stay, with bookings for historical homes doubling in 2022 compared to 2019. 

These homes are proving particularly popular with families in the UK, with family travel making up one in every four nights booked for historical homes on Airbnb in the first half of 2022. There are now over 40,000 historical homes to choose from across five countries in Europe. 

“We are proud to be making a contribution to English Heritage that will benefit both local communities and tourists so they can enjoy England’s rich cultural history, including hidden gems in some of the less visited rural areas and countryside.  We hope that more historical home owners, from owners of cottages, to barns and even traditional oast houses will consider the financial and cultural benefits of restoring buildings and welcoming guests into their homes” says Amanda Cupples, general manager for Northern Europe at Airbnb.

Meanwhile the English Heritage chief executive Kate Mavor adds: “We are very grateful to Airbnb for its most generous donation. English Heritage is an independent charity and support like Airbnb’s is vital to protect the great stone circles and castles, abbeys and historic houses in our care. It is thanks to support like this that the charity is spending more money than ever before conserving sites for the benefit of the public – right across England.”