ABSTRACT
Whatever category of museum, be it national, local, private, military or university, Local Authorities are involved. Some hold collections of national or international importance, some have recently become national. Others reflect purely local community interest, while varying forms of partnership and financial support in connection with private, military and university museums are all to be found. The keyword is ‘variety’. That variety stems from a long, and from a national viewpoint, largely unplanned history of development, characterized by permissive rather than mandatory legislation.
