The closure of the Lord Ashcroft gallery is a sad moment for the nation and the heroes it showcases

26 February 2025, 16:39

I was hugely disappointed when I discovered, through a third party, that the Imperial War Museum in London no longer wants to display my collection of Victoria Crosses and George Crosses.

Their decision, announced on Tuesday, to close the Lord Ashcroft Gallery on June 1 marks the end of an era, until now a happy one at that.

Since 1986 I have devoted significant time and resources to building up a collection of Victoria Crosses, which is by some way the largest in the world at more than 200 in total.

I have also amassed a smaller collection of George Crosses. The two decorations are Britain and the Commonwealth's most prestigious awards for valour.

My medal collection, estimated by experts to be worth £70 million, has been on public display at the IWM since 2010.

The gallery also displays a smaller collection of Victoria Crosses and George Crosses owned by or loaned to the Imperial War Museum.

I not only agreed to loan my Victoria Cross and George Cross collection to the Imperial War Museum but I also paid some £5 million to create a spacious gallery for the medals and various associated memorabilia.

The “Extraordinary Heroes” exhibition at the gallery seeks to intrigue, inspire and amaze by re-telling forgotten stories of great bravery from the Crimean War to the present day.

I have learnt over the years that some individuals, when faced with extremely dangerous situations, can rise to the occasion and carry out astonishing deeds.

Now, my sincere hope is that many of the people who have not visited the gallery so far will do so over the next three months before it closes and the decorations gather dust in a vault.

Unfortunately, there is insufficient time to find a new "home” for the medals whereby they stay on public display.

The current loan agreement for my medal collection is due to expire on September 30 2025 but I had anticipated, given the huge popularity of the gallery, that it would be routinely renewed.

Now, apparently, the Imperial War Museum wants the space - which I paid for - for other exhibitions, including those related to more modern warfare. I would like to thank the many people, including decorated veterans, who have written to me or messaged me to say the museum's decision is plain wrong.

They say that the imminent closure of the Lord Ashcroft Gallery is the nation's loss.

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Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. For more information on his work, visit lordashcroft.com.

Follow him on X/Facebook @LordAshcroft.

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