The British Museum

The British Museum is a building in which a huge collection of art and antiques is held in trust for the people of Britain. This amazing collection spans two million years of human history and is intended as a place where the British and visitors to Britain can have easy access to cultural artefacts.

Naturalist Sir Hans Sloane bequeathed the collection at the British Museum to King George II in 1753, he wanted the 71,000 artefacts he had collected to be preserved together after his death, Sloane asked that £20,000 be paid to his family in return for his grand gesture and this money was raised by a public lottery. King George II in turn donated the Old Royal Library to the collection and in 1759 the museum opened to the public free of charge.

Since then the collection has splintered off to create other museums including the Natural History Museum and the British Library. However, the collection at the British Museum has continued to grow and now includes high profile pieces like the ancient Egyptian piece the Rosseta Stone.

The Museum has remained on the same Bloomsbury site since its beginnings, however, the first Montagu House quickly became too small for the collection and the museum has been extended, however, it still remains one of the most beautiful buildings in London.

The museum is split up into the following departments; Department of Africa, Oceania and the America, the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan, the Department of Asia, Department of Coins and Medals, Department of Conservation, Documentation and Science, Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, Department of the Middle East, Department of Portable Antiquities and Treasures, Department of Prehistory and Europe, Department of Prints and Drawing.

The museum is large, so large that one visit will be insufficient to see all this fantastic collection has to offer, however highlights include, artefacts from the Chinese Zhou Dynasty, ancient Egyptian jewellery, coins from the Ottoman Empire, bronze work from Afghanistan, pottery and artwork from all over the globe and so much more.

In addition to its permanent collection the museum also houses many temporary exhibitions most of which are free but some do charge an admission fee. You can find out more about these free exhibitions in our Exhibitions section.

The British museum is open daily all year round excepting the following dates Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and Good Friday. The main galleries are open daily from 10am till 5.30pm though some galleries do have late opening times.

Find out more about the British Museum.

How to get there

The closest tube stations to the British Museum are at Holborn, Tottenham Court Road, Russell Square and Goodge Street. If travelling by bus the 1, 7, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 98, 242 serve the nearby New Oxford Street and the 10, 14, 24, 29, 73, 134 and 390 all stop at Tottenham Court Road.