civil service departments out of London. A small headquarters staff remained in London, moving to Charles House on Kensington High Street. The Bank finally vacated Blythe House in the early 1970s. Proposed and temporary uses After the Savings Bank dispersal was announced, several proposals were made for the Blythe House site. London County Council enquired about using the land to build housing for people displaced by redevelopments in Hammersmith, North Kensington and Paddington, while the Civil Service Clerical Association lobbied for the building to remain in civil service use: "It is, admittedly, an old building, but it is solid and a good deal better than some of the other offices being used for Civil Servants." It was rumoured that the restaurant chain J. Lyons and Co., whose food preparation factory Cadby Hall was adjacent to Blythe House, wanted to acquire the site. Hammersmith Chess Club used Blythe House as their home venue for a period of time in the mid 70s, having moved on from a draughty and cold St Paul's Church Hall nearby. In the summer of 1979 Blythe House was used for the temporary exhibition of gifts to the Queen from the All-Japan Handicraft Cultural Association, given in connection with the Silver Jubilee celebrations. Museum stores In 1979 Blythe House was formally acquired by the Government from the Savings Bank for £6.5m, with the intention that it be used for storage by museums and galleries. A letter to the directors of the national galleries and museums garnered initial interest from the British Library, and the Natural History, British, Science and Victoria and Albert Museums. The British Library had previously expressed an interest in taking the whole building in place of their existing repository at Woolwich; the director of the V&A Sir Roy Strong had also lobbied for Blythe House to be used for the public display of several of his museum's collections: "Surely Blythe Road—which is a marvellous building—should be not just a dumping ground but an exciting new complex for the public." The building is now used to store small and medium-sized artefacts from the collections of three museums: The British Museum from previous stores at Crayford, Kent; Shepherdess Walk; and Edgware Road. The Science Museum, including items from the Wellcome Trust collections; a conservation laboratory, a photographic studio, and a quarantine area where newly arrived items are examined. The Victoria and Albert Museum (from previous stores