This volume is concerned with how, during four demanding, dislocating and world-changing years, the museum, that most Victorian of institutions, was forced to meet the extraordinary test of war on the home front.

Museums were no more immune from the pressures of war than any other institution. Their history reflects the broader history of the home front and the efforts made to do the right thing at the right time. The changes they experienced, some long term, others transitory, do much to explain the nature and character of museums in Britain today.

The author covers the progress of museums from just before the advent of war to the immediate post-war period, and considers this in relation to changing social attitudes and economic conditions.