British Museum

Egyptian pieces in the British Museum

The British Museum is one of the world's greatest and most famous museums. It was established in 1753 by Sir Hans Sloane, a physician and scientist who collected literature and art, on its present site at Montague House in London, United Kingdom, and was purchased by the British government for £20,000.

The museum is home to some six million objects covering the story of human culture from its first beginning to the present day. Many of the artefacts are stored underneath the museum, due to lack of space. The museum opened to the public on January 15, 1759.

The building and admission fee

The main entrance to the British Museum

The British Museum has never charged an admission fee, apart from a period of a few months in 1972. During 2002 it had been suffering serious financial difficulties and was even closed for a day when its staff protested about proposed redundancies. A few weeks later, the theft of a small Greek statue was blamed on lack of security staff.

The British Museum Reading Room used to be part of the British Library. Its functions have now been moved to the new British Library building.

Highlights of the collections

• The Echo in the reading room, which Gerard Hoffnung recommended.
• The Elgin Marbles, carvings from the Athenian Parthenon, (which are Greek in origin and are wanted back by the Greek people)
• The Portland Vase
• The Rosetta Stone
• The Stein collection from Central Asia.
• The Clock Room
• Works by Albrecht Dürer: 1 volume of sketches and 4 volumes of manuscripts.

Information

Admission to the British Museum is free.

At present, the ethnography section of the museum is closed, as it is in transit from another site to the main Museum.

Museum opening hours

Saturday - Wednesday : 10:00 - 17:30

Thursday & Friday : 10:00 - 20:30

Great Court opening hours

Monday : 09:00 - 18:00

Tuesday & Wednesday : 09:00 - 21:00

Thursday - Saturday : 09:00 - 23:00

Sunday : 09:00 - 21:00

Location

Great Russell Street

London WC1B 3DG

Nearest London Underground stations:

• Holborn (Central, Piccadilly Lines)
• Russell Square (Piccadilly Line)

Not surprisingly, the British Museum, and especially the Reading Room, is a recurring setting in David Lodge's 1965 novel The British Museum Is Falling Down.

External link

• Official web site of The British Museum

Referenced By