Museum for all (British Museum)

Member Name: tartlette

Product:	British Museum
Date:	15/03/06 (112 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Size, variety of content, artifacts, location, free!

Disadvantages: Size (!) some outdated displays

The British Museum is not, as the name might suggest, a museum about Britain, but rather the national museum in Britain. It covers all areas of the world and has artifacts from all periods.

HISTORY:

Originally founded by Sir Hans Sloane who left his vast collection of artifacts to the crown to create a museum. The museum was founded by Act of Parliament in 1753. The building as we see it now was constructed in the 19th century, with the Great Court being added in 2000. The museum now attracts around 5 million visitors a year.

ACCESS:

Although the museum is very central there is no tube specifically for it (there was at one time but this has long since closed). The nearest tubes are Russell Square (Piccadilly line) and Tottenham Court Rd (Central and Northern lines). The no. 7 bus from Oxford St also stops outside.

The museum is free for all visitors, although some charges are made for temporary exhibitions.

The museum is fully accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

GOING THERE:

When you first enter the museum, carry straight through the entrance hall and into the Great Hall. The space is magnificent, completely covered with a glass ceiling and makes it feel like outside (without the weather!) In this area you can pick up maps and guides. The toilets, shops and cafes are also located here.

Some of the exibits are better than others. Among the best known are the Rosetta Stone (to the left of the Great Hall), which is noticable by the great crowd usually gathered around it; the Elgin Marbles (controversially still there despite the Greek government's best efforts!) and the Lewis chess men. The Elgin Marbles are housed in their own gallery and it a nice calming space, with surprisingly few crowded areas. The Lewis chessmen are housed in the Medieval Europe gallery upstairs, and this is certainly one of the galleries which needs a makeover! Some of the galleries are in desperate need of repair and reorganisation, especially the Greek and Roman galleries where drab colours and peeling labels are often the norm. Some of the best galleries include the Enlightenment Gallery (to the right of the Great Hall) which is laid out like a library and where you can get up close to a copy of the Rosetta Stone; the Mexico Gallery which is a very dramatic red and black space; the Living and Dying Gallery (to the rear of the Great Hall) which covers different attitudes to health and death and the Asia Gallery. My favourite galleries are the Europe galleries, although this is purely for their content as they are in need of redecoration.

Children can complete activities and will be fascinated by the mummies in the Egypt Galleries, but other than this they may get bored.

Another great thing, which isn't offered nearly enough, is the tables in some of the galleries where you can actually handle some of the objects and if you get the chance then take it.

One of the major irks of the British Museum is that they don't employ enough people to keep all of the galleries open all of the time. But for the casual visitor this shouldn't be a problem as the main attractions are always open.

Summary: Definately worth going