The British Museum was founded in 1753, the first national public museum in the world.

From the beginning it granted free admission to all 'studious and curious persons'. Visitor numbers have grown from around 5,000 a year in the eighteenth century to nearly 6 million today. History of the British Museum The eighteenth century: origins of the British Museum The origins of the British Museum lie in the will of the physician, naturalist and collector, Sir Hans Sloane (16601753). Over his lifetime, Sloane collected more than 71,000 objects which he wanted to be preserved intact after his death. So he bequeathed the whole collection to King George II for the nation in return for a payment of 20,000 to his heirs. The gift was accepted and on 7 June 1753, an Act of Parliament established the British Museum. The founding collections largely consisted of books, manuscripts and natural specimens with some antiquities (including coins and medals, prints and drawings) and ethnographic material. In 1757 King George II donated the 'Old Royal Library' of the sovereigns of England and with it the privilege of copyright receipt. The British Museum opened to the public on 15 January 1759 . It was first housed in a seventeenth-century mansion, Montagu House, in Bloomsbury on the site of today's building. Entry was free and given to all studious and curious Persons. With the exception of two World Wars, the Museum has remained open ever since, gradually increasing its opening hours and moving from an attendance of 5,000 per year to today's 6 million.

The nineteenth century: expansion and discovery In the early part of the nineteenth century there were a number of high profile acquisitions. These included the Rosetta Stone (1802), theTownley collection of classical sculpture (1805), and the Parthenon sculptures (1816). In 1823 the gift to the nation by George IV of his father's library (the King's Library) prompted the construction of today's quadrangular building designed by Sir Robert Smirke (17801867). By 1857, both the quadrangular building and the round Reading Roomhad been constructed. To make more room for the increasing collections held by the Museum, the natural history collections were moved to a new building in South Kensington in the 1880s. This became the Natural History Museum. The Museum was involved in much excavation abroad. Its Assyrian collections formed the basis for the understanding of cuneiform (an ancient Middle Eastern script). In the same way the Rosetta Stone had resulted in the unlocking of Egyptian hieroglyphic script (a symbol-based script).

A key figure during this period was Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks (182697). Appointed to the Museum in 1851, he was the first person to be responsible for British and medieval material. Franks expanded the collection in new directions, collecting not only British and medieval antiquities but also prehistoric, ethnographic and archaeological material from Europe and beyond as well as oriental art and objects. Visitor numbers increased greatly during the nineteenth century. The Museum attracted crowds of all ages and social classes, particularly on public holidays. Alongside their academic work, curators took an interest in broadening the Museum's appeal through lectures, improving the displays and writing popular guides to the collections.

The twentieth century: providing a public service The twentieth century saw a great expansion in public services. The first summary guide to the Museum was published in 1903 and the first guide lecturer was appointed in 1911. By the 1970s, there was an active programme of gallery refurbishments and an education service and publishing company had been established. Additional public facilities were provided in a series of building works. These included the Duveen Gallery, built to house the Parthenon Sculptures (1939/62). In 1973 the library became part of a new organisation, the British Library. This organisation remained at the Museum until 1997, when the books left Bloomsbury for a new building at St Pancras. The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, built in the space vacated by the library, reflects the most recent public expansion at the Museum. At two acres, it is the largest covered public space in Europe. In the centre is the restored Reading Room, while around and beneath it new galleries and an education centre were built. The Museum celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2003 with the restoration of the King's Library, the Museum's oldest room and the launch of a new permanent exhibition Enlightenment: Discovering the world in the eighteenth century.

The twenty-first century: the Museum's recent history During the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Museum has continued to expand its public facilities with the opening of four new permanent galleries in 2008/9: Chinese ceramics Clocks and watches Europe AD 10501540 The Tomb-chapel of Nebamun: Ancient Egyptian life and death The Museum is now looking forward to its next major building project, the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre, which will include a new temporary exhibition space.

In 2009, the Museum was awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

The core of todays building, the four main wings of the British Museum, was designed in the nineteenth century. Other important architectural developments include the round Reading Room with its domed ceiling and the Norman Foster designed Great Court which opened in 2000.

Quadrangle building The core of todays building was designed by the architect Sir Robert Smirke (17801867) in 1823. It was a quadrangle with four wings: the north, east, south and west wings. The building was completed in 1852. It included galleries for classical sculpture and Assyrian antiquities as well as residences for staff. Smirke designed the building in the Greek Revival style, which emulated classical Greek architecture. Greek features on the building include the columns and pediment at the South entrance. This style had become increasingly popular since the 1750s when Greece and its ancient sites were rediscovered by western Europeans. The building was constructed using up-to-the-minute 1820s technology. Built on a concrete floor, the frame of the building was made from cast iron and filled in with London stock brick. The public facing sections of the building were covered in a layer of Portland stone. In 1853, the quadrangle building won the Royal Institute of British Architects Gold Medal. The Kings Library The Kings Library was the first wing of the Smirke design to be built and was completed in 1827. More information

South entrance and Museum forecourt The external architecture of the Museum was designed to reflect the purpose of the building. The monumental South entrance, with its stairs, colonnade and pediment, was intended to reflect the wondrous objects housed inside. The design of the columns has been borrowed from ancient Greek temples, and the pediment at the top of the building is a common feature of classical Greek architecture.

The east and west residences (to the left and right of the entrance) have a more modest exterior. This is an example of mid-nineteenth century domestic architecture and reflects the domestic purpose of these wings. They housed the Museums employees, who originally lived on site.

Weston Hall The Weston Hall was designed by Sydney Smirke, who took over from his brother, Sir Robert Smirke, in 1845. The patterns and colours on the ceiling of the Weston Hall were borrowed from classical Greek buildings, which would have been brightly decorated. The electric lamps in the entrance hall are replicas of the original lighting lamps in the Museum. The Museum was the first public building to be electrically lit. A 20 million donation from the Weston Foundation enabled the restoration of the hall in 2000.

Reading Room The Reading Room, built in 1857, stands at the heart of the Museum, in the centre of the Great Court.

White Wing The White Wing, facing Montague Street, was designed by the architect Sir John Taylor (18331912) and constructed 18825. It was designed in the same style as the quadrangle building. The Museum had again been looking to expand and a bequest made by William White (who died in 1823) to enable building works became available after the death of his widow. White had two requests about the design of the building: that it had a monumental entrance (the steps which run up to the entrance) and an inscription (which is above the doorway). These can both be seen from Montague Street.

King Edward VII galleries The King Edward VII galleries, designed by Sir John Burnet (18591939), were originally intended to be part of a larger development at the north side of the Museum.

The design of these galleries and north entrance are predominantly marked by imperialistic features and draw on Roman rather than Greek characteristics. Imperial features include the royal coat of arms, above the entrance to the gallery, and sculptures of crowns, lions heads and coats of arms of Edward VII on the stonework above the north entrance. The north entrance was never originally intended to be a public entrance. Instead this entrance and gallery were meant to face a long avenue which would be part of a victory parade route. The saluting gallery, a reminder of this grand scheme, can be seen above the north entrance. The foundation stone was laid by King Edward VII in 1907 and the building was opened by King George V and Queen Mary in 1914

The Duveen gallery The construction of a new gallery for the Parthenon sculptures was funded by Sir Joseph (later Lord) Duveen in 1931. The architect was the American, John Russell Pope (1874 1937), who also designed the National Gallery in Washington. The gallery was completed in 1939 but, because of damage during the Second World War, it was not opened until 1962.

Great Court Designed by Foster and Partners, the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court opened in 2000.

1. The British Museum was founded in 1753, the first national public museum in the world. From the beginning it granted free admission to all 'studious and curious persons'. Visitor numbers have grown from around 5,000 a year in the eighteenth century to nearly 6 million today. 2. The origins of the British Museum lie in the will of the physician, naturalist and collector, Sir Hans Sloane (16601753). Over his lifetime, Sloane collected more than 71,000 objects which he wanted to be preserved intact after his death. So he bequeathed the whole collection to King George II for the nation in return for a payment of 20,000 to his heirs. The gift was accepted and on 7 June 1753, an Act of Parliament established the British Museum. The founding collections largely consisted of books, manuscripts and natural specimens with some antiquities (including coins and medals, prints and drawings) and ethnographic material. In 1757 King George II donated the 'Old Royal Library' of the sovereigns of England and with it the privilege of copyright receipt. The British Museum opened to the public on 15 January 1759 . It was first housed in a seventeenth-century mansion, Montagu House, in Bloomsbury on the site of today's building. Entry was free and given to all studious and curious Persons. 3. In 1823 the gift to the nation by George IV of his father's library (the King's Library) prompted the construction of today's quadrangular building designed by Sir Robert Smirke (17801867). By 1857, both the quadrangular building and the round Reading Roomhad been constructed. To make more room for the increasing collections held by the Museum, the natural history collections were moved to a new building in South Kensington in the 1880s. This became the Natural History Museum. Visitor numbers increased greatly during the nineteenth century. The Museum attracted crowds of all ages and social classes, particularly on public holidays 4. The twentieth century saw a great expansion in public services. The first summary guide to the Museum was published in 1903 and the first guide lecturer was appointed in 1911. The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, built in the space vacated by the library, reflects the most recent public expansion at the Museum. At two acres, it is the largest

covered public space in Europe. In the centre is the restored Reading Room, while around and beneath it new galleries and an education centre were built. The Museum celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2003 with the restoration of the King's Library, the Museum's oldest room and the launch of a new permanent exhibition Enlightenment: Discovering the world in the eighteenth century. 5. During the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Museum has continued to expand its public facilities with the opening of four new permanent galleries in 2008/9: Chinese ceramics Clocks and watches Europe AD 10501540 The Tomb-chapel of Nebamun: Ancient Egyptian life and death The Museum is now looking forward to its next major building project, the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre, which will include a new temporary exhibition space. In 2009, the Museum was awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. 6. The core of todays building, the four main wings of the British Museum, was designed in the nineteenth century. Other important architectural developments include the round Reading Room with its domed ceiling and the Norman Foster designed Great Court which opened in 2000.

Quadrangle building The core of todays building was designed by the architect Sir Robert Smirke (17801867) in 1823. It was a quadrangle with four wings: the north, east, south and west wings. The building was completed in 1852. It included galleries for classical sculpture and Assyrian antiquities as well as residences for staff. 7. The external architecture of the Museum was designed to reflect the purpose of the building. The monumental South entrance, with its stairs, colonnade and pediment, was intended to reflect the wondrous objects housed inside. The design of the columns has been borrowed from ancient Greek temples, and the pediment at the top of the building is a common feature of classical Greek architecture The Weston Hall was designed by Sydney Smirke, who took over from his brother, Sir Robert Smirke, in 1845. The patterns and colours on the ceiling of the Weston Hall were borrowed from classical Greek buildings, which would have been brightly decorated. The Reading Room, built in 1857, stands at the heart of the Museum, in the centre of the Great Court.

8. The White Wing, facing Montague Street, was designed by the architect Sir John Taylor (18331912) and constructed 18825. It was designed in the same style as the quadrangle building. 9. The King Edward VII galleries, designed by Sir John Burnet (18591939), were originally intended to be part of a larger development at the north side of the Museum. The design of these galleries and north entrance are predominantly marked by imperialistic features and draw on Roman rather than Greek characteristics. 10. The construction of a new gallery for the Parthenon sculptures was funded by Sir Joseph (later Lord) Duveen in 1931. The architect was the American, John Russell Pope (18741937), who also designed the National Gallery in Washington. The gallery was completed in 1939 but, because of damage during the Second World War, it was not opened until 1962. Great Court Designed by Foster and Partners, the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court opened in 2000.