Looking for something to do on a rainy day in London? Then look no further than The British Museum! Footprints Tours have put together the Ultimate Guide to The British Museum…
The British Museum, located in the Bloomsbury area of London, is a public institution dedicated to human history, art and culture. Its permanent collection numbers some 8 million works, and is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence having been widely sourced during the era of the British Empire, and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present. It is the first national public museum in the world.
The British Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the Irish physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. It first opened to the public on 15 January 1759, in Montagu House, on the site of the current building. Its expansion over the following two and a half centuries was largely a result of expanding British colonisation and has resulted in the creation of several branch institutions, the first being the British Museum (Natural History) – now the Natural History Museum – in 1881.
Its ownership of some of its most famous objects originating in other countries is disputed and remains the subject of international controversy, most notably in the case of the Parthenon Marbles.
You can find out more about the British Museum on our amazing London Walking Tour!
Monday-Sunday 10:00am to 17:45pm, Friday 10:00am to 22:00pm
Tottenham Court Road (Northern and Central Lines) 5min walk away
Holborn (Picadilly and Central Lines) 8min walk away
Russell Square (Piccadilly Line) 8 minute walk away
By Bus: 1, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 98, 242 (New Oxford Street Stop)
10, 14, 24, 29, 73, 134, 390 (Tottenham Court Road Stop)
59, 68, x68, 91, 168, 188 (Gower Street Stop)
NCP Car Park, Brunswick Square, Marchmont St, London WC1N 1AF