National Treasures : Saving The Nation's Art in World War II
'Geeks triumph over the forces of darkness: nothing could have given me greater pleasure. Combining an exciting story with scrupulous research, Caroline Shenton has done her unlikely heroes proud' - Lucy Worsley
As Hitler prepared to invade Poland during the sweltering summer of 1939, men and women from across London's museums, galleries and archives formulated ingenious plans to send the nation's highest prized objects to safety. Using stately homes, tube tunnels, slate mines, castles, prisons, stone quarries and even their own homes, a dedicated bunch of unlikely misfits packed up the nation's greatest treasures and, in a race against time, dispatched them throughout the country on a series of top-secret wartime adventures.
National Treasures highlights a moment from our history when an unlikely coalition of mild-mannered civil servants, social oddballs and metropolitan aesthetes became the front line in the heritage war against Hitler. Caroline Shenton shares the interwoven lives of ordinary people who kept calm and carried on in the most extraordinary of circumstances in their efforts to save the Nation's historic identity.
We process orders daily, Monday to Friday.
| Collect instore (Leeds Museum) Collect within 7 days |
FREE |
| UK Standard - 3-5 Working Days | £3.95 FREE on orders over £60 |
| UK Express - 1-2 Working Days |
£5.95 |
| UK Express - 1-2 Working Days - AGE CHECK For full-size replicas (Swords, Gimli's Axe, Gandalf Staff) | £14.50 |
| International | Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout based on destination and weight. |
Please ensure that someone is available at the delivery address to receive your order. Any undelivered or uncollected parcels will be returned to sender. We will automatically issue a refund for all products once they have been received back at the museum, however, shipping is non-refundable.
Age Check - 18+
All sales of replica blades, replica firearms and alcohol require age verification. You will be asked for proof of age at point of delivery.
Collect in store
- Collections can be made from the shop at Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds during opening hours.
- You will be notified via email once your order is ready for collection.
- Once you receive this notification, we will hold your order for 7 days.
- Please bring your order confirmation and ID that matches the name on the order.
- Limited short stay, road-side parking is available on Clarence Road or Citipark operate the nearby Leeds Dock multi-storey car park. Please note that parking charges may apply.
International Shipping
All international orders will be sent by courier. The estimated delivery time for European deliveries is 7-10 working days and 10-14 working days for rest of the world, however this is not guaranteed.
Please note that some products are not available to ship outside of the UK. A full list can be found on the Restricted Items page. Orders placed with a non-UK delivery address that include a restricted item may be subject to cancellation and a refund will be issued. If you are unsure, please contact us before ordering.
Please be advised that you are responsible for any import duty that may be charged on delivery of your order. If you are unsure, we advise you to check with your own customs and excise department before placing an order.
Contact us
You can find all the ways to contact us on our Contact Us page
****Please be advised that you are responsible for any import duty that may be charged on delivery of your order. If you are unsure, we advise you to check with your own customs and excise department before placing an order.