British Museum

London is a city where a lot of museums, exhibitions, art galleries and other cultural object are concentrated that attract tourists from all over the world. The British Museum is among those places, which is visited by millions of people every year. The museum occupies the second place after the Louvre Museum in the number of exhibits. 94 galleries with a length of 4 kilometers – that is what will expect everyone who is going to visit this outstanding cultural attraction of the city of London.

History and Architecture of the British Museum

The history of the British Museum had been started from the private collection of the pieces of art. Sir Hans Sloane, a British physician, a well-known collector of items of antiquity, as well as a traveler and naturalist, made a will to devolve all his collection after his death to George II, Kind of Great Britain, for just a token fee. At that moment the collection consisted of more than 70 000 items.

The British Museum was founded on June 7, 1753, with a special Act of Parliament. Subsequently, it was the Parliament acquiring the exhibits from the collectors to replenish the fund of the museum. To the opening of the museum, it was enlarged with the Harleian Library and the Cottonian Library, and in 1757, the Royal Library joined the museum collection as well. There were the true treasures of literature among the items including one and only surviving copy of “Beowulf”.

In 1759, the British Museum that was housed within Montagu House at that time was officially opened to the visitors. However, not everyone could get there but only the elite. The British Museum was open to the public only after 100 years, but more about that later.

Within the period from the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century, the Museum had bought out a collection of antique vases of Hamilton, Greville’s minerals, Elgin Marbles that are still the true jewel in the museum exposition. A key role in the development of the British Museum was played by the Anglo-Egyptian War, as a result of which Egypt became one of the protectorates of Great Britain. During that time many pieces of antiquity, works of art and treasures were taken away from Egypt, but it was done illegally.

As the collection was enlarging constantly, there appeared a necessity to divide the museum into the thematic halls. But with each passing year, it was harder and harder to find a space for new items. In 1823, it was decided to build a separate building for the exhibits. The architect of the British Museum was Robert Smirke who designed the project in neo-greek style. The main feature of the construction is 44 ionic columns on the south front.

The construction of the building had been lasting for more than 30 years, and in 1847 the doors of the British Museum were opened to the public. The front of the museum was built in the 1850s, the author of the project was Sir Richard Westmacott. Initially, there were supposed to be the figures on the pediment showing "Progress of civilization", while today this idea seems old-fashioned. But the architect decided to portray the progress in a different way. If you look closely, in the far left corner you will see an uneducated man coming out from behind a rock. He studies such things as sculpture, music, and poetry, becoming "civilized." All items are personified and represented by human figures. From left to right: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Science, Geometry, Drama, Music and Poetry.

However, the project works had not stopped at this point, and in 1857, a large courtyard was built, the center of which was occupied by the Round Reading Room.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the museum was enriched with many exhibits brought from the Middle East, which was the result of archaeological excavations in Mesopotamia. Later some collections were separated into the Museum of Natural History, and in 1972, the British Library also split away leaving the above-mentioned reading room as a reminder. In 2000, architect Norman Foster had performed a redevelopment of a number of rooms and also built a glass roof over the courtyard.

Today the collection of the British Museum boasts about 13 million exhibits. Of course, one visit to the museum is not enough to see them all. But the fact that this landmark cannot be ignored is definitely.

The British Museum Galleries and their Famous Exhibits

The British Museum is divided into 6 thematic departments that house the archeological and cultural objects of different countries and periods:

Ancient Egypt and Nubia

Here you can observe the largest collection of sarcophagi and mummies (including the mummy of Cleopatra), the obelisk of Pharaoh Nectanebo II, the mathematical papyrus of Ahmes, 382 and 95 tablets of the Amarna letters, a fragment of the Sphinx’s beard, and the famous Rosetta Stone (a stone slab with three lapidary inscriptions, one of which is in ancient Greek, the rest two - in Ancient Egyptian: one is written in a demotic letter, and the second – in hieroglyphics).

Africa, Eastern and Southern Asia, Oceania, Mesoamerica

The Beninese bronzes, the Diamond Sūtra, the Book of Omens known as Irk Bitig, the Kanishka stupa, the collection of Chinese porcelain (the Percival David Foundation), the ancient Chinese scroll “Admonitions of the Court Instructress” are kept in these Galleries.

Ancient East

Those who are curious about the culture and archeology of the East will be very interested in visiting this exposition. Among the numerous exhibits, there is the Cyrus Cylinder, Sennacherib's Annals, the jewels of Queen Puabi, the “Ram in a Thicket” - a figure of 4500 years old, the collection of bas-reliefs, and the Balawat Gates of Shalmaneser III.

Ancient Greece and Rome

You can find a lot of fascinating items in these rooms, among which are the fragments of excavations of the Knossos Palace, the frieze fragments of the Temple of Athena Nike, a frieze of the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae, the Warren Cup, the Portland Vase, and the Elgin Marbles.

Great Britain and Europe

The Golden Cup of Charles V, the Mold Cape, the Franks Casket, the Lewis chessmen, the Fuller Brooch, the treasures of the Anglo-Saxons, as well as Lindow Man, the remains of a man who died in the Iron Age, are kept in the Galleries.

Graphics and Engraving

The gallery presents such famous engravings as “The Disasters of War” by Francisco Goya, various graphics by Raphael, Albrecht Durer, Michelangelo, William Blake, Leonardo da Vinci, and Rembrandt.

Information for visitors: location, working hours, and ticket price

Address of the British Museum: Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG.

The nearest bus stop is Montague Street (Stop L).

The nearest tube stations are Tottenham Court Road, Russell Square, Holborn.

Entrance to the British Museum is free of charge, except for temporary expositions. There are special boxes for donations in the museum, where tourists throw one or two pounds to the museum's fund.

Working hours: The museum is open daily from 10:00 to 17:30, on Fridays from 10:00 to 20:30. Some galleries can be closed without prior notice.

More information about the working hours of the halls and temporary exhibitions you can on the official site: britishmuseum.org

There are a souvenir shop and two cafes on the territory of the British Museum where you can have a snack after a long walk through the galleries.

Every guest of London should visit also Westminster Abbey that is situated just a half hour walk from the British Museum. To have enough time to explore the capital of Great Britain, you should stay here for a week at least. In our catalog you can find hotels in London, most of which are within walking distance of the main city attractions.