Churchill’s desk and rare artwork among items donated to UK cultural institutions | Arts Council England

A desk by Winston Churchill and Benjamin Disraeli, a painting by Vanessa Bell and a rare artwork by Edgar Degas are among items of cultural significance recovered for the country this year.

The items, worth a total of £59.7 million, will be allocated to museums, galleries, libraries and archives across the UK as part of Art Council England’s cultural gifts and in lieu programs.

Some items are recognized for their exceptional rarity, cultural value or technical skill, while others offer insights into the history of the United Kingdom through some of the country’s most famous public figures.

The Regency mahogany standing desk used by Churchill and Disraeli during their premierships has been dedicated to the National Trust’s Hughenden Manor, Disraeli’s former country home. Churchill is thought to have used the desk while working on his wartime speeches, and it is also seen in 1943 photographs of Churchill’s bedroom in the Downing Street annexe.

The still life painting by Bell, sister of the writer Virginia Woolf, is called Vase, Flowers and Bowl and has been consigned to the Charleston Trust for display at Charleston House in Firle. The painting marks a midpoint between Bell’s earlier abstract works and his later, more realistic style.

The roses of Danseuse, Degas’s vibrant pastel showing four young dancers at rest, were assigned to the National Gallery in London. The work is said to reflect Degas’ interest in recording the intimate lives of working-class women – milliners, laundresses and especially dancers.

The cultural gifts scheme (CGS) allows UK taxpayers to donate significant cultural objects to the country in exchange for a percentage reduction in tax based on the value of the donated item.

This year, the program also included a collection of photographer and photojournalist Bill Brandt’s work dedicated to the Tate. Brandt was one of many immigrants from Nazi Germany to Britain, and the collection includes some of the annotated prints Brandt used for his publications.

The acceptance in lieu scheme (AIL) allows those with an inheritance tax bill to pay it off by transferring important cultural, scientific or historical objects to the nation. The plan was established in Lloyd George’s people’s 1910 budget.

Other highlights on the program this year include the political archive of Lord Geoffrey Howe, one of the leading political figures of the decades after the Second World War, who served as chancellor, foreign secretary, deputy prime minister and leader of the House of Commons during Margaret Thatcher’s time in office. The archive was transferred to the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.

King Henry II killed Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury. There are also deeds relating to four of Henry’s knights. Four documents give an intimate insight into the fate of three of the four attackers behind one of the most infamous events in medieval history. They were transferred to the South West Heritage Trust in Taunton.

Meanwhile, a portrait of Pompeo Batoni, one of the most sought-after portrait painters of 18th-century Rome, has also been transferred to the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle. Martha Swinburne’s portrait will be reunited with her husband Henry’s portrait in the gallery.

Nicholas Serota, chief executive of Arts Council England, said the plans were “vital ways” of providing unique objects that visitors can enjoy for generations. “The various elements outlined in this report will enable more communities to benefit from and better understand our shared cultural heritage.”

Michael Clarke, chair of the replacement admissions panel, said this had been the most productive year for the program since 2020. “From the furniture that stood in the halls of power at moments of great national danger, to the touching personal story of Martha Swinburne’s portrait being reunited with her husband’s portrait in the Laing Gallery in Newcastle, each AIL and CGS allocation is unique and adds something new to our public collections and their audiences,” he said.