Museum's artworks to be displayed at No 10

Paintings from a Devon museum are set to be displayed in Downing Street during 2026.

The Box in Plymouth has been selected as Museum in Residence at Downing Street to showcase the "artistic and maritime heritage" of the city.

Throughout the year, nine paintings from the museum will be displayed inside No 10 while world leaders, government officials and other visitors attend events.

Victoria Pomery, chief executive of The Box, said it was an "extraordinary moment".

"To have highlights from our collections displayed at Number 10 recognises that Britain's Ocean City has stories of genuine national significance," Pomery said.

"From the Eddystone Lighthouse a triumph of British engineering that made global maritime trade safer, to Stanley Spencer's vision of post-war Britain, these works prove that Plymouth isn't peripheral to British history; it's been central to it."

The works being displayed in Downing Street include The Opening of the New Eddystone Lighthouse by Henry Andrews Luscombe, Plymouth Pier from The Hoe by Charles Ginner, and Citadel Road by Jack Pickup.

The works have been selected for the stories they tell about British innovation, resilience and creativity through "Plymouth's unique lens", the Box said.

Jemima Laing, deputy leader of Plymouth City Council, said: "This appointment validates our belief that world-class culture can thrive outside London while remaining deeply rooted in community.

"The Box is locally loved, nationally known and now internationally showcased."

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