The London Museum [antikvár]

INTRODUCTIONThe London Museum owes its inception to the second Viscount Esher and the first Viscount Harcourt who, encouraged by Their Majesties King George V and Queen Mary, were instrumental in bringing together in the State Apartments at Kensington Palace in 1911 an extensive collection of objects representing the life and history of London from the earliest times to the present day. In 1913, the first Viscount Leverhulme acquired the lease of Stafford House and presented it to the nation for the purpose of housing this collection. The building was then renamed Lancaster House, and the museum remained in it until after 1945, when the use of the building for conferences made it necessary to find a new home for the collections. In 1950 Elis late Majesty King George VI came to the help of the Trustees by granting the use of part of Kensington Palace as temporary accommodation for the museum while a permanent solution to the problem of its home is sought. The museum has therefore returned to its place of origin in rooms below those in which it was first opened to the public. Only a small part of the collections can be exhibited at any one time. Stored material will, as far as possible, be made available to students on application.D. B. HARDENDiredor