Collections highlights
English Heritage does not operate a central museum. Instead, we try to make sure that we display objects that were used, found or were originally displayed at the sites where you see them.
Browse all Collections HighlightsObjects in depth
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The Vegetable Seller
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Portrait of the Artist by Rembrandt
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JOSHUA REYNOLDS
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Old London Bridge
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EMMA HAMILTON: ARTIST’S MUSE
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The Launceston Castle Whale
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Figurine of an African warrior
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THE MANY FACES OF RICHBOROUGH
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Richborough and the Roman World
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The Corbridge Lion
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Pictures of Innocence: Children with Animals in Georgian Art
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A Chalk Goddess: Real or Fake?
Objects in 3D
Explore a selection of fascinating objects from our collection rendered in 3D using the latest photogrammetry techniques.
Get up close to intricately carved architectural fragments from Hailes Abbey, examine the mysterious dodecahedron from Corbridge Roman Town, and spin around a macabre double-sided memento mori from the collection at Ranger's House.
Explore English Heritage Collections in 3DGoogle Arts and Culture
Discover thousands of our objects and the stories they tell about our sites on Google Arts and Culture.
Zoom into the finest detail of some of our greatest works of art, including Vermeer’s The Guitar Player and Rembrandt’s Portrait of the Artist, and get an incredibly up close view of some of our most remarkable decorated ceilings.
Explore English heritage on Google Arts and Culture-
A Snapshot of an English Heritage Archaeological Store
Discover our stores at Wrest Park where over 160,000 objects from sites in the East and West Midlands, East of England and London, are kept.
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JW Evans: A Snapshot in Time
In 1881, JW Evans Silversmiths was founded. Rescued by English Heritage in 2008, it survives as one of the most complete historic factories in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter.
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The Iconic Art of Kenwood House
From Dutch Masters and English rivals to the spectacular ceiling of the Great Library.
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Wrest Park: Lost and Found
The contents of Wrest Park were sold off at a grand auction in 1917. Through decades of careful research English Heritage has brought some of the treasures back home.
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Technology and Luxury in an Art Deco Masterpiece
Eltham Palace has a long history dating back to the Middle Ages. It is best known today as a treasure trove of Art Deco design.
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The Webster Family and Battle Abbey
A group of portraits that still hangs at Battle Abbey charts the many generations of the Webster family.
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Chesters Roman Fort: Outpost of Empire
The museum at Chesters has one of the best collections of inscriptions and sculptures on Hadrian’s Wall.
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Portchester Castle: from Roman Fort to Prisoner-of-War Depot
Between 1961 and 1979 the castle was the scene of major archaeological excavations. These produced thousands of finds and have transformed our understanding of Portchester’s long history.
Teaching Resource: Curators’ Collections
We’ve asked our curators to delve into our collections and bring you the most interesting stories from across our sites. They highlight how objects can offer us windows into the past and a curator's role in making this happen.
Explore our site-specific pages to find out more about curatorial work and how we can use objects as sources to better understand the past. These pages are intended to support anyone learning about our sites and working with historical sources.
Collections Conservation
The work of our conservators, conservation scientists and collections care assistants focuses on identifying, understanding and combatting the risks to our collections and interiors.
Discover how dedicated fine art conservators protect the many paintings, frames and decorative schemes in our collection. Find out how our conservation scientists protect objects and interiors from harmful environmental factors. You can also download our expert conservation notes and technical papers for advice and guidance.
Read moreCollections Management
Curious how our collections are managed? We've made all of our collections policies available here on our website. Information about objects covered under immunity from seizure are also listed on this page.
Learn More