Thanks National Heritage Memorial Fund

Mon, 06 Sep 10 10:39:00

2010 marks the 30th anniversary of the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF). Over the last three decades the Fund has safeguarded thousands of iconic heritage treasures for the nation that were at risk of being lost forever.  The National Library of Wales is just one of the many proud and grateful benefactors of NHMF support.

 

In its role as the ‘fund of last resort’, NHMF has provided crucial funding that has enabled the Library to acquire a number of important collections integral to Welsh history and culture. To date, the Library has received a total of £957, 315 for 10 acquisitions . The acquisitions  are:

 

• The main archive of the papers of the artist Augustus John (1878-1961). Grant awarded: £66, 000 on 24 March 1988.

• A collection of medieval and later Welsh and English literary manuscripts from the Brogyntyn or Porkington estate. Grant awarded: £199, 915 on 17 December 1992.

• The papers of Robert Clive, first Baron Clive of Plassey (1725-74) and his son Edward as well as the  papers of his friend and colleague Brigadier-General John Carnac. Grant awarded: £65, 000 on 22 November 1995.

• Papers from Coed-y-maen comprising the papers of ( a) Sir Williams Williams (Speaker Williams, 1634-1700) and b) Charles Watkin Williams-Wynn (1775-1850), politician. Grant awarded: £23, 000 on 28 June 1990.

• Papers of the artist David Jones CB, CBE (1895-1974). Grant awarded: £40, 000 on 26 September 1985.

• Correspondence, notes and sketches from 1903-1939 covering the artist, Gwen John’s, life in France. Grant awarded: £50, 000 on 27 September 1984.

• Papers and notes for speeches dating from 1890-1915 of the politician, David Lloyd George. Grant awarded: £37, 000 on 26 February 1987.

• The William George papers (1865-1967), younger brother of David Lloyd George. Grant awarded: £204, 500 on 27 July 1989.

• The Wynnstay Estate Archive (the largest estate in Wales) 12th-20th centuries and the Wynnstay Manuscripts – mainly literary and legal including the Laws of Hywel Dda. Grant awarded: £218, 000 on 31 January 2001.

• An unrecorded proof map of Wales, circa 1580 by Christopher Saxton. A product of Saxton’s topographical survey of England and Wales (1573-1578). Grant awarded: £53, 000 on 24 July 1986.

 

Andrew Green, Librarian of the National Library of Wales wished the National Heritage Memorial Fund well on its thirtieth anniversary:

 

‘The National Library of Wales is very grateful for the financial support and far-sighted involvement in Welsh culture which has been derived from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. It has been an invaluable fund for the development and understanding of the Library’s work and wider Welsh history.’

 

NHMF was set up to provide grants and loans to help acquire the UK’s most precious heritage at risk of loss, as a permanent memorial to those who have given their lives in service to the country. Rather than creating new monuments, the Fund safeguards the very fabric of the nation, our heritage, as a permanent memorial dedicated to the men and women who have paid the ultimate price to protect this country. 

 

Over the last thirty years it has awarded just over £298.3 million to help build and protect an outstanding national collection ranging from historic houses, monuments and works of art to industrial and maritime heritage and iconic landscapes. 

 

Dame Jenny Abramksy, Chair of the NHMF commented: “The National Heritage Memorial Fund has achieved a great deal over the last thirty years, saving a truly extraordinary diversity of treasures that form part of our national identity and stand as a fitting and lasting memorial to those who have died for the United Kingdom. There is much to be proud of and enjoy, but we know that there are challenging times ahead. We will do our utmost to continue the work of investing in the most important and priceless heritage, which once gone is lost forever.”   

 

Notes to the Editor:

A selection of the diverse range of over 1,200 iconic objects and places NHMF has secured over the last 30 years:

 

• The Macclesfield Psalter
• Vale of York Hoard
• Newark Torc
• The Mappa Mundi
• Dumfries House
• Antonio Canova’s The Three Graces
• Skokholm Island, site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSI) in Pembrokeshire
• Titian’s Diana and Actaeon
• Anthony d’Offay’s Collection
• Broadlands Archive
• Werner Collection Perfume Burner
• The Milton Keynes ‘Pot of Gold’
• St Sebastian reliquary
• Orford Ness
• The Becket Chasse
• Patterson's Spade Mill, County Antrim
• Holbein’s Lady with a Squirrel and Starling
• The Waterloo Dispatch
• Beamish Exhibition Colliery

 

 

Further information and images

Siôn Jobbins, NLW Press Office: 01970 632 902  post@llgc.org.uk