This thought was firmly rejected by Winston Churchill, who wrote in a telegram to Kenneth Clark, “bury them in caves or in cellars, but not an image shall leave these islands”. Instead a slate quarry at Manod, near Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales, was requisitioned for the gallery’s use. In the seclusion afforded by the paintings’ new location, the Keeper Martin Davies began to compile scholarly catalogues on the collection, with help of the gallery’s library which was additionally stored within the quarry. The move to Manod confirmed the significance of storing work at a constant temperature and humidity, something…