Judges’ Lodgings in Lancaster among recipients of cultural objects worth £54m made available for the nation

The Beatrix Cooper collection - worth £614,936 - were accepted from the estate of Beatrix Cooper, with 100 items permanently allocated to Leeds Museums & Galleries for Lotherton Hall; eight to the Victoria & Albert Museum; and one, the Gillows chair, to Lancashire County Council for the Judges’ Lodgings.

It comes as part of the Arts Council' s Cultural Gifts Scheme and Acceptance in Lieu Annual Report 2020/21, which was published today.

Despite challenges the museum sector has faced during the pandemic, paintings, archives, and items of cultural importance worth £54m were accepted for the nation and allocated to museums across the UK.

Of the cultural objects allocated, 70 per cent were acquired by institutions outside of London. Moreover, more than 80 per cent of the total tax settled was accounted for by objects that have been allocated outside of London.

Institutions which have received objects for the first-time include the Judges’ Lodgings Museum in Lancaster, as well as The Lowry in Salford, Wallingford Museum in Oxfordshire, and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Now in its eighth year, the Cultural Gifts Scheme (CGS) enables UK taxpayers to donate important cultural objects to the nation; in return, donors receive a percentage reduction in tax based on the value of the donated item.

Notable works accepted over the past year include the sketchbooks of the artist Mary Fedden which have been permanently allocated to the Tate, a bronze inkstand by Peter Vischer the Younger which now resides at the Ashmolean Museum, and two intricate collages by the artist John Bingley Garland (1791-1875) known as The Blood Collages, which found permanent residency at the Fitzwilliam Museum.

Acceptance in Lieu (AIL) allows those who have an Inheritance Tax Bill to pay the tax by transferring important cultural, scientific or historic objects and archives to the nation.

Highlights include the late Prof Stephen Hawking's archive and office, which are allocated to Cambridge University Library and the Science Museum respectively.

Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council England, said: “This report marks 10 years of the Arts Council’s administration of these schemes, which both play a vital role in ensuring that communities across the nation can enjoy cultural treasures close to where they live.

"During these years, a diverse array of unusual and exceptional items have entered public collections throughout the U.K, offering lasting inspiration to all for years to come.

“I am, as ever, grateful to the Acceptance in Lieu Panel, and its chair, Edward Harley, who – despite challenges faced due to the pandemic – have worked hard to ensure that galleries and museums across the country benefit from these two important schemes.”