Million and More Appeal
With over a million items in our collection stores, we need your help to protect England's stories.
Every piece - and every story they tell - helps us all to build a picture of England's past and understand our place in the present. But it costs over £600,000 to care for, and give access to, this huge number of historic objects.
Without your support, many stories which inspire us to think about our history - and our place in the present - could be lost forever.
Please donate to the Million and More Apppeal today and protect the stories of the past.
Donate £35 to help document stories of the past
Right now there are more than a million historic items in our collection stores, all with a story to tell. The knowledge needed to precisely research and document them, protects those stories now and for the future.
A donation of £35 could secure one hour of an expert's time, so they can conserve and catalogue our items in the best possible way.
Donate £60 to help conserve stories in the present
An object's story doesn't end when it comes into our collection stores. It continues with the skill it takes to conserve and care for relics from the past.
A donation of £60 could help pay for five soft, natural fibre brushes to prevent scratches while doing the important job of cleaning fragile works of art and historic photographs.
Donate £80 to help share stories for the future
Stepping into our collections stores is like starting a voyage of discovery that spans 6,000 years of our history.
A donation of £80 could help to cover costs to open up our stores for free public tours, so more people can discover a treasure trove of historical items and hear their stories.
The time is now
Visit any of our collection stores and you'll find a treasure trove of historical objects. Some are incredibly rare. Many are pretty ordinary. And others are brilliantly quirky. All of them have a story.
As you begin to find out about a historical item, a fascinating story is revealed. It may tell you about the people who made it, sold it, bought it, used it, loved it or even loathed it. Stories about people from ordinary communities with remarkable tales to tell.
But with over a million objects in our stores, dating from prehistory to the Cold War, we have an immense job caring for, cleaning and restoring such a huge number of items.
The further you dig into an item's past, the more exciting its story becomes.
With your help, we'll continue to uncover fascinating stories across England, now and for years to come.
Your donation will go towards the conservation and protection of the historical objects in our collections and stores.