Imperial War Museum to close Lord Ashcroft Gallery, moving Victoria Cross collection from public view

London — The Imperial War Museum has announced the closure of the Lord Ashcroft Gallery, home to what is described as the largest public collection of Victoria Crosses and George Crosses. The move is part of a plan to devote gallery space to more recent conflicts and to embed diversity in the museum’s exhibitions, a shift critics say risks downplaying the stories of individual gallantry.

Lord Ashcroft, a businessman and philanthropist who built the collection over four decades, has long sought a public home for the medals. The collection, valued at about £70 million, was financed with roughly £5 million to create the gallery within the IWM’s South London site. He had arranged to gift the medals to the IWM upon his death, but this year learned that the museum had decided to close the Lord Ashcroft Gallery and relocate the medals to a secure vault, effectively removing them from public view. He says he persuaded the IWM to keep the gallery open for the full term of the loan agreement — until the end of September — to honor the deal. A friend who recently visited reported the gallery drew just 30 to 40 visitors at a time, a sign, in his view, that public interest may be waning.

The collection includes medals tied to famed acts of courage from both world wars and later conflicts. Among the best-known stories are those of Captain Noel Chavasse, a doctor who twice earned the Victoria Cross during World War I. Chavasse, one of only three men in VC history to be awarded the decoration twice (VC and Bar), was an Oxford graduate and an Olympic athlete who served as a regimental medical officer on the Western Front and saved many wounded under heavy fire. The gallery also housed the tale of Sergeant Norman Jackson, whose Lancaster bomber was struck during a 1944 raid over Germany; after a fire above the wing forced his plane to take evasive action, Jackson climbed onto the aircraft’s fuselage to tackle the blaze, despite severe injuries. His courage is cited in the VC citation as an example of self-sacrifice that “will ever be remembered.”

As of this Tuesday, visitors to the IWM in south London will no longer be able to learn about Jackson’s exploits or about Chavasse’s dual VC honor in the gallery bearing their names. The IWM says the change will allow space to broaden its narrative to cover a wider range of conflicts and experiences spanning the past century and a half. The museum notes that while it remains the world’s leading repository of military history, its mission now emphasizes a spectrum of perspectives, including the human costs of war and the lives affected by conflict across generations.

Supporters of the gallery argue that the displays offer emblematic, personal portraits of bravery that help visitors connect with war’s human dimension. Critics, however, contend that moving or curating the medals away from public view risks diminishing the public memory of individual acts of gallantry that the Victoria Cross and George Cross are meant to symbolize. The debate has intensified amid broader questions about the IWM’s evolving priorities and its approach to presenting Britain’s wartime history.

The IWM’s governance has also been a point of contention. Trustees appointed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer include figures with extensive academic and diversity-focused credentials. Among them is Dame Janet Beer, who was honored for services to higher education and equality and diversity. Some observers interpret these appointments as signaling a shift away from a strictly military-history focus, though museum officials say the new board reflects a broader remit that includes the social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of conflict.

The Lord Ashcroft Gallery opened in 2010, funded in part by the donor to showcase “Extraordinary Heroes” and to illuminate stories spanning from the Crimean War to the present day. Ashcroft has described his collection as a way to honor “the bravest of the brave” and has indicated a firm intention to find another venue to house the medals, should a suitable arrangement not be possible with the IWM. He has expressed concern that a shift toward contemporary narratives could erode the long-standing emphasis on courage, duty, and sacrifice that underpinned the VC and GC awards.

For now, the medals will be stored securely in vaults rather than on public display. The museum says the decision does not cancel the broader project of telling war stories; rather, it expands the range of exhibits and programs that accompany the nation’s wartime memory. Whether the public interest in individual acts of gallantry persists, and how the IWM will balance those stories with newer narratives, remains a subject of ongoing public discussion. In the meantime, Ashcroft says he will pursue an alternative venue for his collection and continues to advocate for recognizing acts of bravery as central to national memory.