British Museum

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44 Great Russell St

British Museum's main stairs

Andrew Brackenbury / Time Out
Egyptian statues

Britta Jaschinski / Time Out
Sarcophagus of Nubkheperre

Britta Jaschinski / Time Out
The great court

Andrew Brackenbury / Time Out
Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia

Andrew Brackenbury / Time Out
Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia

Andrew Brackenbury / Time Out
Antique sculptureS

Jonathan Perugia / Time Out

British Museum's main stairs

Andrew Brackenbury / Time Out

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Time Out says

Wed Jun 20 2012

One of the world's oldest museums, the British Museum is vast and its collections, only a fraction of which can be on public display at any time, comprise millions of objects. First-time visitors generally head for the mummies, the Rosetta Stone, Lindow Man, the Lewis Chessmen and the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial.

'Enlightenment: Discovering the World in the 18th Century' is a permanent exhibition of around 5,000 objects chosen to cast light on the period between the mid-18th and the early 19th century, a time of great discovery and learning when the British Museum was founded by an Act of Parliament. It is displayed in the restored former King’s Library – a huge neo-classical room built in the 1820s to house the books collected by George III.

'Living and Dying', a permanent exhibition in the Wellcome Trust Gallery, explores the ways in which peoples throughout history have diagnosed and treated disease and coped with death. The exhibition considers attitudes towards burial and mourning and festivals for the dead and features an installation on Western approaches to illness. The first galleries to open as part of the BM's programme of refurbishment are a new gallery of Ancient Iran, featuring masterpieces from the Persian Empire, and a gallery focused on the prehistory of Europe and the Middle East, examining the fundamental changes to human society brought about by the birth of agriculture.

The Great Court, which is open Sat-Wed 9am-6pm, Thur, Fri 9am-8.30pm, is a vast and beautiful covered piazza, designed by Foster and Partners, surrounding the free reference library in former Round Reading Room.

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Venue location

Address:
British Museum 44 Great Russell St
London
WC1B 3DG

Phone:
020 7323 8000, bookings 08445 791940
Website:
www.britishmuseum.org
Opening hours:
Daily 10am-5.30pm; Fri 10am-8.30pm (selected galleries only, ring for details)
Transport:
Tube: Holborn/Russell Sq
Price:
Free (permanent collection and some temporary exhibitions)
Map
1. British Museum
  - 44 Great Russell St
    London
    WC1B 3DG
  - 020 7323 8000, bookings 08445 791940
  - www.britishmuseum.org
  - 51.518971,-0.126475

Categories:
Attractions and museums. Sightseeing. Antiquities. Art and design. History. Religion and spirituality. Music. World. African music. Asian music. Indian music. Blues, roots and country. Blues. Country. Art. Photography. Drawing and illustration. Masterpiece. Prints and editions. Sculpture. Architecture. Ceramics and pottery. Metalwork. Textiles. Renaissance art. Books and poetry. Educational books. History. Poetry. Things to do. Families. Educational books. Kids' activities. Arts and crafts. Special interest
Facilities:
Eating and drinking facilities. On-site dining. Café. Restaurant. Accessible facilities. Devices for the hearing-impaired. Entertainment facilities. Late night. Event facilities. Audio tours (English language)
Occasions:
Wow factor. Activites for a spare hour. Culture vultures. Famous art works. Feed your brain. Unique. Unique London

What's on at British Museum

Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum

Antiquities, History, Things to do

Rating: 4/5

Imagine someone discovering a settlement in the UK 1,000 years from now. Not a huge, bustling city like London; more Milton Keynes, or Derby. Somewhere that offers a very everyday view of urban life in that place and time. That’s what this exhibition...

Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum

Sun May 26
– Sun Sep 29
British Museum 44 Great Russell St, WC1B 3DG
£15; concs avail

Buy tickets

Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind

Antiquities, History, Things to do

Sadly the BM hasn't been able to ship the famous caves at Chauvet, Lascaux and Altamira to London for this absorbing exhibition, but it has been able to bring together art made from stone, bone, antler and ivory dating back 40,000 years, as well as younger...

Sun May 26
British Museum 44 Great Russell St, WC1B 3DG
£10

Buy tickets

Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind

Art

Critics' choice

This exhibition features some of the worlds oldest sculptures, drawings and portraits, created across Europe between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago. To illustrate the idea that the minds of these long ago artists were not that different from our own the...

Sun May 26
British Museum 44 Great Russell St, WC1B 3DG
£10, concs £8, booking fees apply

Buy tickets

Recent Acquisitions: Archimboldo to Kitaj

Things to do

Free

A display of some of the 311 prints and drawings presented to the British Museum by the American artist RB Kitaj (1932-2007). It's the first exhibition of Kitaj's work in London for over 20 years and the artist – who spent much of his life here – always...

Thu May 30
– Sun Sep 1
British Museum 44 Great Russell St, WC1B 3DG

More info

The Art of Influence: Asian Propaganda

Attractions and museums, Things to do

Free

This absorbing show looks at the political art of Asia from 1900 to 1976, as practised on a selection of posters, prints and drawings, money and medals, teapots, textiles and other objects, all combining to show how propaganda art reflects and is shaped...

Thu May 30
– Sun Sep 1
British Museum 44 Great Russell St, WC1B 3DG

More info

Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese Art

Things to do

An exhibition of sexually explicit paintings, prints and illustrations produced in Japan between 1600 and 1900, known as shunga. Mostly made within the school of ukiyo-e, known in English as 'pictures of the floating world', the images can be funny, tender...

Thu Oct 3
– Sun Jan 5 2014
British Museum 44 Great Russell St, WC1B 3DG
£7

More info

Beyond El Dorado: Power and Gold in Ancient Colombia

Attractions and museums, Things to do

A display of some 250 masterworks borrowed from the Gold Museum in Bogota, Colombia, alongside objects drawn from the British Museum's own collection. The exhibition looks at the myth of El Dorado and the 'Lost City of Gold' and presents technically sophisticated...

Thu Oct 17
– Sun Mar 23 2014
British Museum 44 Great Russell St, WC1B 3DG
£10

More info

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Comments & ratings

(12 ratings)

this amazing cant wait to go in three years

barbie Sat May 11
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I like a lot British Museum!

pMac Wed Feb 6
Rated as: 5/5
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Hello, Are there any family activities organized by the British Museum? Thank you

Richard Walsh Sat Feb 2
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Completely agree with polojam77.. impossible to do it in a day but if you have to, do it with the free app at vusiem.com. .that is the only way to get it done! The app is good and easy to use and will take you through the main highlights in a breeze

arts Sun Oct 28 2012
Rated as: 4/5
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Its impossible to do this museum in a day so be well prepared .. I was given this warning in advance and this is what i did - i download the free vusiem app to my phone. i quickly. researched and marked items i wanted to see. On my visit, just pressed the mark and tour button .and covered 200 objects in a day.. did the reading up from the app later on.. So cool... Do this or be prepared to get weary and exhausted .. entirely up to you!

polojam77 Fri Oct 12 2012
Rated as: 4/5
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A brilliant museum and it's free!

London Wed Mar 21 2012
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very interested in the sleepovers

Janet Fri Feb 10 2012
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I like a lot British Museum!

Tatyana Draganova Sun Oct 30 2011
Rated as: 5/5
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So much to see! you need at least 2 days to see it all. The exhibitions in the middle of the museum are fantastic, we visit most of them - join up and come along - www.cultureseekers.org

London Thu Jul 14 2011
Rated as: 5/5
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Without a doubt the best museum in the capital and FREE! Ta boot! what more could you want?....this place is so great its quoted in a song "A foggy day" and sung by old blue eyes himself...great! restaurant also!! Trust me you'll love it!!

Jeffrey Thu Jul 14 2011
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British Museum

British Museum's main stairs

Egyptian statues

Sarcophagus of Nubkheperre

The great court

Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia

Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia

Antique sculptureS

British Museum's main stairs

User ratings:

Time Out says

Accepts Time Out Card

British Museum Membership for One - save 25% or more

Venue location

Map

What's on at British Museum

Filter

Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum

Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind

Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind

Recent Acquisitions: Archimboldo to Kitaj

The Art of Influence: Asian Propaganda

Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese Art

Beyond El Dorado: Power and Gold in Ancient Colombia

Comments & ratings

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