British Museum - Definition and Overview

The main entrance to 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 a great deal of literature and art at its present site at Montague House in London, United Kingdom. It was purchased by the British government for £20,000. The present chairman is Sir John Boyd.

The museum is home to some six million objects covering the story of human culture from its beginning to the present. Many of the artifacts 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 new Great Court

The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court is a covered square at the centre of The British Museum designed by the architects Foster and Partners. The Great Court opened in December 2000 and is the largest covered square in Europe. The roof is a glass and steel construction with 1,656 pairs of uniquely shaped glass panes. At the centre of the Great Court is the Reading Room vacated by the British Library. The Reading Room is open to any member of the public who wishes to read there.

The British Museum has never charged an admission fee, apart from a period of a few months in 1972; however, some temporary special exhibitions within but separate from the main museum do charge. 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 - though purchased and paid in full from the governor of Athens of that time - a Turk governor).
• 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.
• Egyptian Mummies
• The Benin Bronzes
• Artifacts from the Sutton Hoo burial

Interior of British Museum showing some of the Egyptian pieces in collection

Information

Admission to the British Museum is free, except for special exhibitions within the main museum.

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:

• Tottenham Court Road (Central, Northern lines)
• 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 (http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk)