Image: A selection of shells from the Atkinson collection (English Heritage)
The organisation said rising costs have strained its ability to maintain and research its collection
English Heritage has launched a new fundraising appeal to combat the rising costs of storing and researching the more than one million objects in its care.
The organisation’s ‘Million and More’ Appeal is hoped to raise money to offset the £600,000 it spends annually to care for and store its large collection of historic objects.
“Rising costs and pressures on funding have put a strain our ability to maintain and research this invaluable and internationally significant historic collection, and we are now calling on the public to support our vital work” it said.
Objects in its care include 60,000 coins, a prehistoric stone ‘core’ from Stonehenge, a Roman baby bottle, a 9th-century grave marker, a cannon gifted to the 11-year-old Elizabeth I, and the Duke of Wellington’s false teeth.
Kevin Booth, English Heritage’s Head Collections Curator, said: “As the guardians of England’s heritage, we take our job of looking after these objects very seriously as not only are they priceless, they’re also an irreplaceable portal to the past.
“From storage to caring for, cataloguing, discovering, acquiring or putting on display, it’s a huge and expensive undertaking, and we need the public’s help.”
The ‘Million and More’ Appeal is encouraging the public to make donations to its campaign, and has said a donation of £35 would pay for one hour of an expert’s time, while £80 can help pay for the costs of opening up its stores for free public tours.
