Wartime Wednesday: Storing Britain's Treasures

Wartime Wednesday: 

Storing Britain’s Treasures

As the possibility of war with Germany grew closer, the curators and directors of Britain’s art institutions devised plans for the safe keeping of the country’s treasures. Initially, the National Gallery and the British Museum shuttled many of their items to various locations in Wales including the University of North Wales at Bangor, Caernarvon Castle, Penrhyn Castle, and the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The Tate Gallery moved their items to underground tube stations and private homes such as Eastington Hall, Hellens at Much Marcle in Herefordshire, and Muncaster Castle in Ravenglass.

An idea that surfaced about where to store the treasures was to ship collections to Canada. However, when Prime Minister Winston Churchill was asked for permission, he stated, “hide them in caves and cellars, but not one picture shall leave this island.” Considering the number of ships sunk by U-boats over the course of the war, his decision was probably wise.

After it was determined that Britain’s art would remain in Britain more suitable, long-term, and secure

locations needed to be found. Antiquities experts are well aware that paintings require stable humidity and temperature. An abandoned slate mine near Blaenau Ffestiniog at Manod Mawr, a mountain in north Wales was perfect. Not only was the location difficult to find, but the mines were also covered by hundreds of feet of slate and granite, making them nearly impossible to destroy with bombs.

Manod’s entrance was enlarged with explosives, then “bungalows” with special heating systems were constructed inside the caverns to protect the paintings from changes in temperature and humidity. Check out this video of items being transported: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQdRX9Xhm0.

By 1942, the National Gallery instituted “picture of the month.” Fewer bombing raids were hitting London, so the directors felt it was safe to bring one painting from Manod each month and put it on display during the day. At night, the piece would be removed to the underground strong room.

A week after Germany’s surrender, the National Gallery returned a portion of the collection to London and held an exhibition in the undamaged rooms in the east wing (the building having been hit by bombs nine times between October 1940 and April 1941).

Photo Credits:

National Gallery: Pixabay/khjgd2

Elgin Marbles: Pixabay/awsloley

Manod Mine: Fred Ramage/Keystone Features

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A Lesson in Love (The Strength of His Heart Limited Edition Anthology)

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after most of the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Then her friend Margery talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, raven-haired leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

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