The National Gallery in London has unveiled a commemorative slate tablet celebrating a Welsh quarry that served as a secret wartime sanctuary for Britain's most precious artworks during World War II. The memorial honors Manod Quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, which housed the nation's paintings for four years as part of Winston Churchill's famous pledge that "not one picture shall leave this island."
When World War II broke out and German bombs began falling on London, the National Gallery faced an urgent challenge: how to protect its invaluable collection from destruction. In 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered his famous declaration regarding Britain's art treasures: "Hide them in caves and cellars, but not one picture shall leave this island." This directive sparked a nationwide search for the perfect hiding place that would keep the nation's cultural heritage safe from enemy attack.
After extensive searching across the United Kingdom, experts discovered the ideal location in the remote Manod Quarry, which had operated as a working quarry for more than a century. The quarry's deep excavations had created vast cavernous spaces within the heart of the mountain, protected by hundreds of feet of slate and granite that made it virtually impenetrable to bombing raids. The location's isolation in the Welsh mountains also provided an additional security advantage, making it easier to maintain the top-secret nature of the operation.
Once the artworks arrived at the quarry near the beginning of the war, they were carefully housed in specially constructed small brick "bungalows" built within the underground caverns. These makeshift storage facilities provided controlled environments that protected the paintings from both enemy attacks and environmental damage. The precious artworks remained safely hidden in these underground chambers for four years before being triumphantly returned to London after the war's conclusion.
The newly unveiled memorial tablet, crafted from authentic Welsh slate sourced from North Wales, features inscriptions in both Welsh and English languages, reflecting the bilingual heritage of the region that played such a crucial role in preserving Britain's cultural treasures. Sir Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery, emphasized that the tablet serves as an important reminder of the pivotal moment when "the nation's paintings were secreted in caves in the slate hills of north Wales to preserve them for future generations."
Dr. Kath Davies of Amgueddfa Cymru praised the initiative as a "fantastic" project that commemorates a significant historical event while simultaneously preserving "traditional Welsh craft and heritage." The memorial represents both a tribute to wartime ingenuity and a celebration of Welsh craftsmanship and cultural identity.
The commemorative tablet was conceived by renowned artist Jeremy Deller and expertly designed and carved by master craftsman John Neilson. The project was commissioned by Mostyn Gallery in Llandudno and received support from the National Contemporary Art Gallery for Wales (CELF), demonstrating the collaborative effort between multiple Welsh cultural institutions.
The Manod Slate Tablet has been installed for permanent display in the prestigious Portico Vestibule of the National Gallery in London, where visitors can learn about this remarkable chapter in British wartime history. The memorial ensures that future generations will remember how a remote Welsh quarry played a vital role in safeguarding the nation's artistic heritage during one of the darkest periods in modern history.
