The British Museum

T British Museum museum human history culture London. I collections, which number 13 million objects, amongst largest comprehensive world originate continents, illustrating documenting story human culture beginning present.

T British Museum established 1753, largely based collections physician scientist S H Sloane. T museum first opened public 15 January 1759 Montagu House Bloomsbury, current museum building. I expansion following centuries resulted creation several branch institutions, first being British Museum Natural History South Kensington 1887. Until 1997, current British Library building opened public, British Museum unique housed national museum antiquities national library building. Since 2001 director Museum N MacGregor.

A other national museums galleries Britain, Museum charges admission , although charges levied temporary special exhibitions.

T Museum Today

T Museum founded 250 years g encyclopędia nature . Today longer houses collections natural history, books manuscripts p independent British Library. T Museum nevertheless preserves universality collections artefacts representing cultures world, ancient modern. T original 1753 collection grown thirteen million objects British Museum, 70 million Natural History Museum 150 million British Library.

T Round Reading Room, which designed y architect Sydney Smirke, opened 1857. F almost 150 years researchers consult Museum's library. T Reading R closed 1997 national library ( British Library) moved building S Pancras. Today transformed Walter Leonore Annenberg Centre. T contains P Hamlyn Library books about Museum's collections, which p visitors.

W bookstacks central courtyard museum empty, process demolition L Foster's glass-roofed Great Court could begin. T Great Court, opened 2000, while undoubtedly improving circulation around museum, criticised having exhibition space museum serious financial difficulties y galleries closed public. A African Oceanic collections temporarily housed 6 Burlington Gardens given gallery North Wg funded y Sainsbury family.