A British coin dealer has slammed the Imperial War Museum's decision to close its Lord Ashcroft Gallery as "disrespectful" and claimed that the gallery is trying to "whitewash the items from the days of the British Empire".
The gallery, which houses the Extraordinary Heroes exhibition and features around 200 Victoria Crosses, is being forced to close as part of the museum's new plans to develop "gallery space on upper floors".
Pierce Noonan, who serves as chairman and CEO of Noonan's Mayfair, told GB News the closure will be "very, very sad" for those who fought in the war.
Noonan told GB News: "I think what they're trying to do is whitewash the items from the days of the British Empire out of their display.
"In fact, the Lord Ashcroft Gallery is the only place you can see anything from the Victorian era in the Imperial War Museum at all. So we know there will be nothing there.
"Yes, it's really from the First World War onwards. Those are the only things you will see there. And they've said themselves that the reason they’re closing the gallery is to focus on more modern campaigns.
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"It's very, very sad, and I have to say I think it's very disrespectful. I think it's very disrespectful to all the recipients of those medals who fought and, in many cases, died for our country. So it's a sad day, and I hope they reconsider.
"I think it's no secret that the Imperial War Museum and other museums as well are absolutely obsessed with sustainability. Any excuse to find some way of incorporating it into a display or whatever, they jump on it.
"So, yeah, it's obviously ridiculous. But they are under pressure to do these things.
"It's worth bearing in mind, of course, that the museums get their funding from government support and largely from charitable donations. These are the sorts of boxes that, in this day and age, unfortunately, they have to tick."
The closure is part of plans to develop new gallery spaces on upper floors. These new galleries will share stories of post-World War Two conflicts.
This includes the Cold War, Falklands War and conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The gallery was created in 2010 following a £5million donation from Michael Ashcroft.
Lord Ashcroft, former peer and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, made his collection available on a 15-year loan.
The loan was set to expire this year and Ashcroft had reportedly intended to renew the loan arrangement.
He had even considered bequeathing the entire collection to the museum after his death. The Telegraph reported this is now unlikely to happen following the closure decision.
Lord Ashcroft expressed sadness over the museum's decision on social media.
In a post on X, he wrote: "Sad for me. I've got this [announcement] from the Imperial War Museums closing the Lord Ashcroft Gallery displaying around 200 Victoria Crosses representing the finest deeds of servicemen in UK's history."
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The gallery, which houses the Extraordinary Heroes exhibition and features around 200 Victoria Crosses, is being forced to close as part of the museum's new plans to develop "gallery space on upper floors".
Pierce Noonan, who serves as chairman and CEO of Noonan's Mayfair, told GB News the closure will be "very, very sad" for those who fought in the war.
Noonan told GB News: "I think what they're trying to do is whitewash the items from the days of the British Empire out of their display.
"In fact, the Lord Ashcroft Gallery is the only place you can see anything from the Victorian era in the Imperial War Museum at all. So we know there will be nothing there.
"Yes, it's really from the First World War onwards. Those are the only things you will see there. And they've said themselves that the reason they’re closing the gallery is to focus on more modern campaigns.
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"It's very, very sad, and I have to say I think it's very disrespectful. I think it's very disrespectful to all the recipients of those medals who fought and, in many cases, died for our country. So it's a sad day, and I hope they reconsider.
"I think it's no secret that the Imperial War Museum and other museums as well are absolutely obsessed with sustainability. Any excuse to find some way of incorporating it into a display or whatever, they jump on it.
"So, yeah, it's obviously ridiculous. But they are under pressure to do these things.
"It's worth bearing in mind, of course, that the museums get their funding from government support and largely from charitable donations. These are the sorts of boxes that, in this day and age, unfortunately, they have to tick."
The closure is part of plans to develop new gallery spaces on upper floors. These new galleries will share stories of post-World War Two conflicts.
This includes the Cold War, Falklands War and conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The gallery was created in 2010 following a £5million donation from Michael Ashcroft.
Lord Ashcroft, former peer and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, made his collection available on a 15-year loan.
The loan was set to expire this year and Ashcroft had reportedly intended to renew the loan arrangement.
He had even considered bequeathing the entire collection to the museum after his death. The Telegraph reported this is now unlikely to happen following the closure decision.
Lord Ashcroft expressed sadness over the museum's decision on social media.
In a post on X, he wrote: "Sad for me. I've got this [announcement] from the Imperial War Museums closing the Lord Ashcroft Gallery displaying around 200 Victoria Crosses representing the finest deeds of servicemen in UK's history."
Find Out More...