Daily, 10.00–17.00 (Fridays: 20.30)
The British Museum
Great Russell Street,
London WC1B 3DG
The 4 tube stations closest to the Museum are:
The British Museum first opened its doors in 1759. It was created through an Act of Parliament in 1753. At first, people had to apply for tickets to visit it. Therefore, it was only well-connected visitors who could visit the museum. But in 1830, the opening hours of the museum got extended and the museum became gradually more open and accessible to all.
We can say that the museum was created thanks to the physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane who was a passionate collector of printed books and manuscripts but also of natural history specimens and antiquities. Because he didn't want his collection to be scattered, he bequeathed it to King George II, for the nation. Then, the Act of Parliament establishing the museum was approved by the King so the collection of Sir Hans Sloane could be kept in a safe place.
Since then, the collection of the museum has been growing considerably. Today, even though the museum no longer houses collections of natural history and of books and manuscripts, it still holds eight million objects and curators still continue to acquire objects today.
Here are the departments that are available to you in the museum :
From family life on the fort to the brutality of the battlefield, experience Rome's war machine through the people who knew it best – the soldiers who served in it. Expansive yet deeply personal, this exhibition transports you across the empire, as well as through the life and service of a real Roman soldier, Claudius Terentianus, from enlistment and campaigns to enforcing occupation then finally, in Terentianus' case, retirement.
2 May - 28 July 2024
This exhibition looks at the last 30 years of Michelangelo's remarkable life, when his return to Rome – having been summoned by Pope Clement VII to paint a fresco of the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel – brought him new commissions and reunited him with some of his closest friends.
For more events, check this page.