Cultural treasures saved

Over £1 5m plus worth of paintings, furniture and archives came into public ownership this year through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme, administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), on behalf of the government. The scheme enable s items deemed to be of historical or artistic importance to be given in place of inheritance tax.

MLA Chair Andrew Motion said: “The Acceptance in Lieu scheme is a vivid and important means of enhancing collections across the UK. The benefits are substantial in terms of connoisseurship, scholarship and access. The many notable items acquired for the nation help to enrich the cultural experiences enjoyed by the public”.

"Alongside other partners – including the Arts Council and the National Museum Directors’ Conference – the MLA encourages and celebrates the habit and joy of private giving for the public good. We urge people to consider matching the example of philanthropists whose names are reflected in many great collections, libraries, galleries and places of learning. We believe this to be an important part of developing the heritage and wealth of our cultural life at any time, but we see it as especially crucial now, in the midst of economic recessio. We are working with government to develop further measures that enable tax-efficient giving, including an extension of the Acceptance in Lieu scheme to cover lifetime philanthropy and encourage gifts of cultural value from living donors.”

Culture Minister Barbara Follett said: "This report just goes to show how many treasures have been saved for the British public as a result of the Acceptance in Lieu scheme. Whether it be furniture, a painting or a historical document, these aspects of our heritage have been preserved for the nation and will give many visitors pleasure and insight into their history, which would otherwise have been lost."

This year 32 separate transfers to the nation were completed, with a value of £1 5.2 m, writing off £10.3 m of tax. The material has been allocated across the UK from the Isle of Wight to Edinburgh and ranges from an Iranian gold enamelled bowl and saucer to one of Nelson’s undershirts .

Notes to Editors

• A summary of each of the 32 objects and collections is contained in the annual report and some of the highlights are listed below . A selection of images is available on request for most of the items
• Advance copies of the report which includes an introduction by Jonathan Scott, Chairman of the AIL panel are available to accredited media under embargo
• The MLA is government's agency for museums, libraries and archives. Leading strategically, we promote best practice to inspire innovative, integrated and sustainable services for all
• The full report of the AIL scheme for 2007 /08 , detailing the objects and describing the process by which they are acquired, will be available on the MLA website from Thursday 11 December 2008
• The Private Giving for the Public Good is a nationwide campaign to encourage a culture of giving to the arts and heritage. The campaign is being led by the National Museum Directors’ Conference, the Museums, Libraries and Archive Council and Arts Council England. The report can be viewed here, http://www.nationalmuseums.org.uk/images/publications/private_giving_public_good.pdf

Highlights of the 32 transfers

1. Five National Trust Houses

benefit from the AIL Scheme ensuring that these house will retain their historic contents:

West Wycombe Park (Buckinghamshire) – A set of four ornate 18th century marble pedestals and a group of sculptures, including a Roman sarcophagus.

Nostell Priory (Yorkshire) – A group of over 100 items of furniture much of it dating back to the 17th century and made within the North of England

Sissinghurst Castle (Kent) – The contents of the Tudor tower, containing much of the Library of the writer Vita Sackville-West.

Scotney Castle (Kent) – The group of paintings, furniture and decorative objects includes the additions to his family home made by the distinguished architectural historian Christopher Hussey.

Dunham Massey (Cheshire) – A group of 21 pieces and sets of silvers which helps the Trust in its long term goal of reuniting the famous collection formed by the owners of Dunham Massey in the 18th century.

2. Historic Papers and Archives

The Bromley Davenport Family Archive – This archive covers over eight centuries of the families’ ownership of lands in Cheshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. There are important medieval documents including records of Bordesely Abbey, near Redditch. There are also important 19th century papers relating to India and letters from Conservative politicians of the mid-20th century.

The Samarez Family Archive– The records provide the history of the family lands in Suffolk from the 12th century and include significant medieval charters. In addition, the archive contains the papers of the naval hero Sir Philip Vere Broke who won a famous victory in 1813 when Britain was at war with the United States.

Architectural Archive of William Brakspear – Brakspear began his architectural career in the offices of Sir Charles Barry and the archive contains many drawings for the new Houses of Parliament which Barry and Pugin were building in the 1840s as well as other Barry designs for Lancaster House, the Travellers and Reform Clubs and Highclere Castle in Hampshire.

Napoleon's Declaration of Outlawry – This important document is the draft, signed by the Allied participants at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, of the declaration that the former Emperor Napoleon was to be treated as an outlaw following his escape from exile on the island of Elba. Also included in the archive is a remarkable letter from the Duke of Wellington setting out in detail his strategy for the decisive Battle of Waterloo.

Archive of the Winn Family of Nostell Priory – The history over 800 years of the Winn lands in Yorkshire and in Lincolnshire is told in this rich archive which has important sections on mining of both coal and ironstone. The archive is particularly rich in material recording the transformation of Nostell Priory in the 1760s by the architect Robert Adam and the cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale.

Three Humphrey Repton Red Books – Repton was one of the greatest landscape architects and these three Red Books date to early in his career and relate to properties in Suffolk; Shrubland Hall, Levermere Park and Nacton.

3. Paintings and Drawings

William Roberts; watercolours drawings and oils – This group of 177 items provides a record of the output of one of the most distinctive British artists of the 20th century. Roberts was a founder member of the Voticist Group immediately after the First World War but later took a more individual approach to depicting the British scene in the 20th century.

Paintings from Kiplin Hall (Yorkshire) – The 12 paintings accepted in lieu include a major work by the Venetian view painter Luca Carlevarijs which depicts the Piazza San Marco. Also included are family portraits of the families that lived in Kiplin Hall by G F Watts, Francis Cotes, William Beechey and David Allan.

Paintings by Burne-Jones, Rossetti and Watts – The works of art accepted include a major work by Burne-Jones, Music, and an evocative depiction of Hamlet and Ophelia by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

Burne-Jones: Perseus and the Graiae–This highly original item, part painting, part decorative panel, was the first of a series of works on the Greek hero, Perseus, that were commissioned by the future Prime Minister, J Arthur Balfour, for his London home.

Four 18th Century Portraits – A small group of portraits including one of Sir Robert Walpole the great Prime Minister.

Allan Ramsay:Portrait of David Hume – This fine portrait of the great Scottish philosopher David Hume epitomises the flowering of learning and achievement in mid-18th century Edinburgh.

JMW Turner: Two watercolours – The two watercolours date from the 1820s when Turner was at the height of his powers and depict a view of Rome and the medieval castle at Carisbrooke on the Isle of Wight. The latter watercolour has been allocated to the museum which is now housed at Carisbrooke Castle and is the first work by Turner to enter any public collection on the Isle of Wight.

Paul Henry:Achill Landscape – The Belfast born artist Paul Henry is well known and eagerly collected in Ireland but he is surprisingly poorly represented in British collections and this fine example from early in his career when he was at his most inventive is only the second example of his work to enter a British gallery.

4. Decorative Art Objects

Objectsassociated with Admiral Horatio Nelson – The four objects accepted in lieu were given to Nelson’s sister after his death and include a medal presented to him by the city of Syracuse following the Battle of the Nile, a Freedom Box presented to him by the city of Oxford in 1802, the armchair he used on HMS Victory and his undershirt embroidered with a coronet.

A 17th century doublet – This rare and well-preserved example of a gentleman’s doublet from the early 17th century is said to have belonged to John Carter, one- time mayor of Yarmouth in Norfolk. The doublet together with a portrait of Carter has been allocated to the Elizabethan House museum in Great Yarmouth which was Carter’s home.

A Mirror from Strawberry Hill, Twickenham – Strawberry Hill was the 18th century home of Horace Walpole and was one of the first important examples in England of Gothick revival architecture which was to have such importance for over a hundred years. The contents, including this large mirror, were dispersed in 1842. It is hoped that it may return to the house when the current conservation work is completed in the next few years.

An Iranian Enamelled Gold Bowl and Saucer – 19th century Iranian enamelling is rare outside Iran and this luxurious example of the opulent taste of the rulers of 19th century Iran is by Aqa Mohammad Khan, one of the leading craftsman of his day.

A Japanese Edo-Period Helmet – this helmet which is as much a decorative object as a piece of armour was constructed from 120 individual plates and is very rare example of the sophisticated display armour which was being made in Japan in the 17th and 18th centuries in Japan.

A Collection of Netsukes – This collection of 26 items displays the range and inventiveness of Japanese carvers in fashioning these small toggles, mostly in ivory, which were used to keep objects attached to the sash worn by men.

A Tournai Écuelle – An écuelle is an elaborate bowl often with lid and stand which was fashionable across Europe in the 18th century. This particularly fine example was made in the 1760s at the porcelain factory at Tournai in what is now Belgium.