York Minster and the William Morris Gallery in London are among four heritage schemes to have been awarded a share of £15m by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Cromford Mills in Derbyshire and a nationwide collection of aerial photos taken between 1919-2006 – Britain from Above: Aerofilms – are also recipients of grants as part of the latest announcement. Plans to conserve the stonework of the Minster's east end and the introduction of volunteering and training opportunities will benefit from a £9.7m grant allocated to York Minster.

An expansion of the William Morris Gallery's exhibition space will benefit from a £1.5m award, while the restoration and repair of the Grade I-listed Building 17 at Cromford Mills has secured £2m. Elsewhere, attempts to catalogue and digitise 95,000 images from the earliest part of the Britain from Above: Aerofilms collection is to benefit from a £1.7m confirmed award.

HLF chief executive Carole Souter said: "Heritage can mean so many different things, from a collection of aerial photographs reflecting the changing landscape to a spectacular Gothic cathedral." Meanwhile, a further six projects have been handed a boost with the announcement of first-round passes, which will allow them to draw up detailed plans with the help of development funding.

The restoration of the SS Nomadic and Belfast's Hamilton Dock has secured initial backing towards a grant of £2.6m, while the King's Theatre, Glasgow, has been earmarked £1.9m. London's New Design Museum has been awarded initial support towards plans to relocate the attraction and the National Museum of the Royal Navy is also in line for funding towards a new gallery.

The Hexham Abbey Project in Northumberland has been given a boost in its bid to secure £1.8m, while the historic Ynysangharad Park lido in Pontypridd received a first-round pass - as confirmed last week. Image: York Minster, one of the four confirmed recipients of funding