A lasting cultural legacyHow to leave a gift in your Will to Manchester’s Museums and Galleries

Legacies make a differenceThe generosity of people who have left cultural legacies to the Galleries and the Museum have helped us build rich collections and have provided vital funds to keep our displays fresh. Over the years we have received gifts in Wills to purchase new items, conserve important museum objects and art works and deliver vibrant learning and interpretation programmes that benefit thousands of people every year.

Today, however, whilst many charities receive steady support from legacies, this is no longer the case for arts organisations who receive far less. And yet, in the years to come, legacies will become increasingly significant to our future development. What’s more, making a Will has never been more important. It’s estimated that millions of pounds are gained by the Treasury every year from people who have not made a Will. In fact, the only way to guarantee your wishes are fulfilled and to give you and your loved ones peace of mind is to make a Will. We do hope you will consider joining those who have a shared passion for the

city’s museums and galleries by leaving us a legacy.

Family workshop at Manchester Art Gallery

The gift of a lifetime

Whether you are a new or seasoned visitor to Manchester’s museums and galleries,

we hope they are important and special places for you. Throughout their long histories,

legacies and bequests from generous individuals have helped shape Manchester City

Galleries, Whitworth Art Gallery and The Manchester Museum. A gift in your Will

for these venues will help ensure future generations are as inspired as you are by our

collections, exhibitions and educational activities.

The new strategic alliance of Manchester City Council and The University of Manchester

means we are now mutually committed to working together to promote the city as

a centre of knowledge, creativity and culture. This partnership of three distinctive

institutions, Manchester City Galleries (which includes Manchester Art Gallery and

The Gallery of Costume), Whitworth Art Gallery and The Manchester Museum, will

strengthen the cultural sector in the city and region. It will enable us to achieve far more

than if we continued to work separately and it will allow us to share in the knowledge

and experience each venue possesses to develop exhibitions and deliver learning and

engagement programmes on a larger scale.

So, whichever gallery or museum you choose to support you can rest assured the most

important gift of your life is in safe hands and that it will be used to maximise people’s

enjoyment of culture in the city on a wide scale for many years to come.

Thank you for your support

Dr Maria Balshaw Dr Nick Merriman

Director of Manchester City Galleries Director of The Manchester Museum

& Whitworth Art Gallery

MANCHESTER ART GALLERY

Thanks to Mr and Mrs Edgar Assheton-Bennett, Manchester Art Gallery has one of the best collections of English domestic silver and 17th century Dutch and Flemish paintings in any public gallery outside London. Edgar only lived in Manchester until he was sixteen but always felt a strong attachment to the city. Through his Will, he decided to give something back to the place of his birth in memory of both his and his wife’s fathers. He not only left the Gallery his collection but also the residue of his estate, valued at £50,000 in 1976. Some of this helped fund a gallery refurbishment and a major new acquisition, The Smith-Barry Gold Cup. More than thirty years on, the Assheton-Bennett name lives on in a special section of the

Gallery of Craft & Design.

THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM

One of the highlights of The Manchester Museum is the ancient Egypt collection, widely recognised as one of the finest anywhere in the UK. This collection owes much to one local man, Jesse Haworth, whose foresight and generosity almost 100 years ago continues to touch the lives of visitors today. Having been deeply involved with the Museum during his lifetime, donating a significant collection of antiquities and funding a new extension in 1912, he bequeathed to the Museum all his remaining Egyptian antiquities, as well as £30,000. Jesse Haworth’s legacy enabled the Museum to construct its ‘1927 Building’ extension, completing a building of unique architectural interest and one of Manchester’s most

iconic cultural landmarks.

WHITWORTH ART GALLERY

The Whitworth would not exist had it not been for the generosity of Joseph Whitworth and his great friend Robert Darbishire who, as executor of his Will, created a memorial which would be “a source of perpetual gratification to the people of Manchester”. As a result, the Whitworth Institute opened in 1889. Thanks to legacies from people proud of their city and its cultural importance, the Gallery’s internationally renowned collection has continued to grow. In the early 20th century John Edward Taylor, son of the founder of the Manchester Guardian, donated 154 English watercolours including works by Turner, establishing the Gallery’s renowned landscape collection. In recent years a number of legacies have further enhanced the collection and helped fund Gallery activities for the benefit of local, national and international visitors.

Still Life: Fruit, Bread and a Goblet on a Table, c. early 1600sFloris van Schooten, gifted to Manchester Art Gallery by Edgar Ashetton-Bennett

You can make a differenceYou don’t need to be wealthy or bequeath museum objects or artworks to make a difference. Be it £100 or £1m, a cash gift in your Will to Manchester’s great cultural institutions would be greatly appreciated. Your support will make a positive difference to future generations of visitors and many local people who take part in learning activities and public events every year. Gifts in Wills work best if they allow us to spend the funds on whatever our greatest need is at the time the gift is received. However, you may choose to help fund specific areas of work like building improvements, future exhibitions, purchasing new works of art, costume or objects for display, conservation, or supporting education and community work. If you are considering bequeathing a specific object, costume item, or work of art we will always welcome discussing it with you first, so our curators can establish the relevance of the intended gift to our existing collections. Making a Will is very straightforward, but we always recommend using a solicitor to discuss your wishes

and any specific wording with them.

A tax-effective giftGifts to charities are exempt from Inheritance Tax. Including a gift to one of Manchester’s museums or galleries in your Will could help to reduce or eliminate your estate’s liability to Inheritance Tax. For many people this means they can leave a contribution to us with less of an effect on the value of what they leave to other beneficiaries. You should discuss this with your solicitor along with any other financial and legal

aspects when you draw up your Will.

Amending a WillOnce you have made a Will, it needs to be kept up to date. For instance, if you sell a property or wish to include a new relative or charity in your Will, you will need to amend it. In the case of major changes, you may need to make a new one. However, in most cases, you will just need to ask your solicitor to draw up a codicil, an addition to your existing Will. Your solicitor will be able to advise you whether your changed circumstances require a new Will or a codicil.

Riqqeh Pectoral, gifted to The Manchester Muesum by Jesse Haworth

Acknowledging your supportLeaving a legacy is a very generous and personal gift. We would be delighted to talk to you about how you would like your gift to be recognised. You may also like to consider dedicating your gift in memory of another. Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss this or any other aspect of your wishes in complete confidence.

If you would like to discuss leaving a gift in your Will to Manchester City Galleries,

Whitworth Art Gallery or The Manchester Museum please contact:

Val Young Head of DevelopmentManchester City GalleriesManchester Art GalleryMosley StreetManchesterM2 3JL 0161 235 8850v.young@manchester.gov.ukwww.manchestergalleries.org

MANCHESTER CITY GALLERIES THE MANCHESTER MUSEUMWHITWORTH ART GALLERY

Stephen WalshHead of DevelopmentThe Manchester MuseumThe University of ManchesterOxford RoadManchesterM13 9PL

0161 275 5515 stephen.walsh@manchester.ac.ukwww.manchester.ac.uk/museum

Jo BeggsHead of DevelopmentWhitworth Art GalleryThe University of ManchesterOxford RoadManchesterM15 6ER

0161 275 7474jo.beggs@manchester.ac.ukwww.manchester.ac.uk/whitworth

Production of this brochure has been generously supported by Hurst Accountants and JMW Solicitors LLP

Printing of this brochure has been generously supported by Pelican Press