§ DR. FARQUHARSON (Aberdeenshire, W.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he is now able to state to the House the probable arrangements for the housing of the Wallace Bequest; whether there is anything in the terms of the Will preventing the Art treasures in Hertford House being allowed to remain there permanently; and whether, in the event of the Government deciding to remove them to Trafalgar Square, consideration will be given to the urgent need for extension of the National Gallery buildings, so as to secure the proper display of the pictures which they contain?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURYIn answer to the hon. Member I have to say that a Committee has been appointed to inquire into and report on the whole subject in connection with the Wallace Bequest The terms of the reference are as follows:—
Where, in what manner, and at what probable cost, provision may be best made for housing and exhibiting the art collection recently bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace, and to make any recommendations which may seem fit to them as to the constitution of a Trust in which this collection may be vested.The members of the Committee are: —
- Lord Lansdowne (Chairman)
- Sir William Harcourt
- Sir Edward Poynter
- Mr. Freeman Mitford
- Sir F. Mowatt
- Mr. Walter Armstrong, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland
- Mr. Alfred de Rothschild and
- Mr. Alfred Waterhouse.
§ DR. FARQUHARSONasked whether the Hertford collection would be open to 1421 the public during the time it remained at Hertford House?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURYI should think it will be impossible to open the collection until the arrangements have been, made for its public exhibition.