The British Library (BL) has become the first UK institution to benefit from the Cultural Gifts Scheme, which was launched last year to encourage lifetime giving.
The Beatles biographer Hunter Davies gave the institution items and letters from his personal collection, including a manuscript that features handwritten lyrics by John Lennon to Strawberry Fields Forever, She Said She Said and In My Life. Some of the material has not been seen by the public before.
Davies said: "I want my Beatles collection to be kept together, in one place, and on public display, and the British Library is the perfect home for it.
"I have always been pleased to see them in the Treasures Gallery, next to the Magna Carta, and works by Shakespeare and Beethoven, because that’s where I honestly think they belong."
The scheme is administered by Arts Council England and allows individuals or companies to donate pre-eminent items to the nation in exchange for a reduction in their income, capital gains or corporation tax liabilities.
Individuals can get a rebate of 30% of the gift's value on their tax bill, while companies can receive a reduction of 20%.
England’s culture minister Ed Vaizey said “I look forward to seeing what other treasures may soon find a home in our national collections as a result of this scheme.”
The Beatles biographer Hunter Davies gave the institution items and letters from his personal collection, including a manuscript that features handwritten lyrics by John Lennon to Strawberry Fields Forever, She Said She Said and In My Life. Some of the material has not been seen by the public before.
Davies said: "I want my Beatles collection to be kept together, in one place, and on public display, and the British Library is the perfect home for it.
"I have always been pleased to see them in the Treasures Gallery, next to the Magna Carta, and works by Shakespeare and Beethoven, because that’s where I honestly think they belong."
The scheme is administered by Arts Council England and allows individuals or companies to donate pre-eminent items to the nation in exchange for a reduction in their income, capital gains or corporation tax liabilities.
Individuals can get a rebate of 30% of the gift's value on their tax bill, while companies can receive a reduction of 20%.
England’s culture minister Ed Vaizey said “I look forward to seeing what other treasures may soon find a home in our national collections as a result of this scheme.”
