The British Museum is one of the world's largest and most important museums of ancient history. It was established in 1753 by Sir Hans Sloane, a physician and scientist who collected a large amount of literature and art at its present site at Montague House in London. It was purchased by the British government for £20,000. The present chairman is Sir John Boyd and its director is Neil MacGregor.

The museum is home to 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 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, except during 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 Elgin Marbles, carvings from the Athenian Parthenon
• 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
• The echo in the reading room, which Gerard Hoffnung recommended

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)

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)