During World War 2, Winston Churchill ordered that Britain's art treasures be moved from museums and galleries in London to protect them from bombing by the Luftwaffe. They were transported north to Manod Quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales, where six underground chambers were specially prepared with climate control systems to store the paintings. Among the treasures housed in the quarry were works by Rembrandt, Van Dyke, Da Vinci and Gainsborough, as well as the Crown Jewels. The secret storage site helped preserve the country's art heritage until the end of the war.