Between 1900 and 1950 the British state amassed a huge collection of over 800 historic buildings, monuments and historic sites and opened them to the public. This book explains why the collecting frenzy took place. It locates it in the fragile and nostalgic atmosphere of the interwar years, dominated by neo-romanticism and cultural protectionism.

Between 1900 and 1950 the British state amassed a huge collection of over 800 historic buildings, monuments and sites and opened them to the public. The Chief Executive of English Heritage tells the story, setting it in its political, economic and cultural contexts. 100 b/w illus.