More than two dozen coastal communities in England are to receive regeneration funding to preserve historical landmarks and help boost local economies.

They include six heritage sites that have been classified as “at risk” by Historic England, ranging from a former ice factory in Grimsby to a miners’ chapel in Cornwall and an historic artillery fort in Essex.

The total £1m payment from the Coastal Revival Fund will help to prevent the seaside sites – which also include piers, lidos and promenades – from falling into disrepair and bring iconic buildings back into use.

Ramsgate rock gardens. Photograph: Bernard Philpot/Alamy Stock Photo

Northwood House Rotunda on the Isle of Wight, a grade II listed building, and the 19th century Rock Gardens in Ramsgate will also receive grants from the Department for Communities fund.

Ministers have been under pressure to invest in so-called “left behind” coastal communities which have suffered from decades of under-investment and played a key role in the result of the Brexit referendum.

Jake Berry, the coastal communities minister, on a visit to the Withernsea Pier Towers project in the East Riding of Yorkshire, said: “From Whitehaven to Weymouth, we’re saving some of the nation’s most cherished coastal heritage assets and landmarks from falling into disrepair. The coastal communities fund also helps regenerate our coastal communities and support them to grow by bringing these sites back to life and making them the focal points of their communities once more.

“It’s all part of our plan to invest nearly a quarter of a billion pounds in our seaside areas by 2020, providing thousands of jobs, training places and opportunities up and down the Great British coast.”

One of the Whitehaven harbour lighthouses, prior to repair works. Photograph: Gary McKeating/Rex Shutterstock

The fund has paid out almost £5m in grants since 2015 for repairs and restoration. Other grants include almost £40,000 for the repair and protection of the two iconic 19th century lighthouses at the entrance to Whitehaven harbour.

A further £50,000 will go on the refurbishment of grade II esplanade shelters in Weymouth while the same amount will pay for a new foot and cycle bridge across the Arnside viaduct along the route from Morecambe to Barrow.

Deborah Lamb of Historic England said: “Restoring local gems can attract investment and help to tackle the deprivation that is a problem in a number of our coastal areas. There are great examples of restoration projects in our seaside towns, often bringing together the private, public, voluntary and social enterprise sectors. This funding will inspire more.”

The Kent estuary and Arnside viaduct. Photograph: David Forster/Alamy Stock Photo

Other projects to receive funding include a 1900 model boating lake in Southwold and a historic vessel in Hull, as well as feasibility reports into desalting a lake near Blackpool so it can be used for sailing and other watersports.