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The British Museum

The British Museum has its roots in a gentleman's private collection, the type of collection that can still be seen at grand houses such as Petworth or Chatsworth. The collection of Sir Hans Sloane, however, made the next step, and became the first of a new kind of museum, a national museum not belonging to Church, monarch or individual, but open to the public and aiming to collect everything. This kind of museum was linked to developments in science and in the advancement of democratic principles. (Read more on our History of Museums page.)

The physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane (1660 - 1753) was a keen collector, and brought back eight hundred specimens from his trip to the West Indies between 1687 and 1689. Following this trip he set up a museum for his collection at numbers 3 and 4 Bloomsbury Place. He added to the collection as he could, until 1742 when he decided to move to Chelsea, and bequeathed his collection to King George the Second. On the 7th of June 1753 George the Second formally established the British Museum as the first independent national museum. The Museum grew over the years, notably with the addition of the Royal Society scientific collection 1781, and George the Third's Library, donated by his son George the Fourth in 1823. This donation led to the building of the quadrangular building seen today, built by Sir Robert Smirke, and largely complete by 1852. This phase of building was followed by the construction of the round Reading Room which was built in the central courtyard between 1854 and 1857.

The Reading Room would be used by many famous writers and thinkers. Karl Marx wrote Das Kapital, a mile stone in the history of economics, largely in the Reading Room. Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde and Michael Faraday are amongst the many famous holders of readers' tickets listed on a board just inside the doors of the Reading Room as it is today.

The British Museum's book collection was moved to new accommodation at the British Library in St Pancras in 1997. The Reading Room now contains the Paul Hamlyn collection on world cultures. The Reading Room is open to visitors who can access the Museum's on-line catalogue via computers which sit on the original study benches.

In 2000 the central courtyard in which the Reading Room sits was enclosed by a spectacular glass roof.

The British Museum's collection spans the world. Here you can see the Elgin Marbles, and wall reliefs from the palace of Nimrud built in 875BC. There is a comprehensive collection of historic coinage .There are also collections from Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Pacific, Greece, Europe and Japan. British collections are particularly comprehensive for the Iron Age, Celtic Britain and Roman Britain. Rebuilding is taking place in the buildings housing this part of the collection, and will not be completed until 2007. Meanwhile highlights from these collections are still on display.

Opening Times: The British Museum is open Saturday to Wednesday 10am until 5:30pm. On Thursdays and Fridays many galleries are open until 8:30pm. Check the website if visiting of an evening for a particular gallery: www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk. The museum is closed January 1st, Good Friday and the 24th-26th December. There are restaurant facilities available.

Directions: The British Museum is in Bloomsbury. The main entrance is in Great Russell Street, with an alternative entrance in Montague Place. Click here for an interactive road and satellite map centred on the British Museum.

Access: the Museum is fully accessible for people with mobility problems. There are lifts on either side of the twelve steps at the main entrance, self operable, or with help available via a bell. Inside there are lifts to all levels. Adapted toilets are available in the Great Court, the Ford Young Visitors Centre, and the Clore Gallery. Large print leaflets, and magnifying glasses are available from the Information Desk. An audio information CD is available in the Reading Room library. Limited car parking for disabled users is permitted on the Museum forecourt. Contact the Museum in advance on the contact number below. Have your vehicle details ready. Sign interpreted talks are provided, details of which are available at the Information Desk.

Contact:

phone: 0207 3238299

e-mail: information@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

web site: http://www.britishmuseum.co.uk/