It is the keeper of a million objects, artefacts and manuscripts documenting 4,000 years of Cornish history, a trove beloved by generations of locals and a draw for tourists, academics and people keen to trace their family links to the far south of mainland Britain.
But the Royal Cornwall Museum (RCM) in Truro is facing closure after the Conservative-controlled unitary council suddenly pulled the plug on its core funding, a move that has drawn criticism from artists, historians and very many citizens.