The British Museum - a must for anyone who is interested in history (British Museum)

Member Name: chrisc92

Product:	British Museum
Date:	09/08/09 (22 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Apart from a seperate exhibition it is free

Disadvantages: Souvenirs are expensive

Sue (my partner) and I visited the museum as one of the last sights during our mad dash around London, and boy did we know about it by the time we finally arrived at the British Museum on Wednesday afternoon (5th August) at around 3pm.

Foot sore and feeling like we'd been in a sauna from travelling on the underground and making what seemed like a very long walk from Monument station to bank to pick up the central line to Tottenham Court Road.

We felt even worse after finding that apart from McDonalds, Burger King and Subway there appeared to very little else to eat - so we opted for a sandwich and salad from the local Sainsburys Central.

Map in hand the two weary travellers headed for the British Museum. Sue had asked for a museum to be included as part of the tour and I was determined to make the most of this opportunity to finally look at one of the most impressive exhibits in the world (or so I believed before we got there).

After walking through Bedford Square with its own private park (which I considered to be totally unfair) we walked into the entrance which we thought a little odd for such a large building, but thought very little of it. We briefly looked at a collection of Islamic relics and then with tired feet we decided to take the lift to the top floor where they had Japanese treasures and work our way down.

We didn't get very far before our feet were absolutely killing us, but we were determined to look at the Egyptian treasures and I was determined to look for the Greek ones!

There were lots of mummies and artefacts situated on the 3rd floor, but after looking at a few it did get a little monotonous evene with the hyroglyphic stone carvings. Greek vases were wonderfully crafted and there were lots of statues/busts of roman emperors and other famous romans, but I was getting a little p'd off because I was still missing the one thing I really had gone there to see.

We were at the point of leaving and had noticed by the lifts another area for Egyptian and Greek exhibits so we travelled down to the ground floor and well we were agasp at what we saw. It was magnificent and exactly what I'd come to see - firstly a number of massive Egyptian statues and the Rosetta Stone (or a copy at least), other large stone sculptures from other cultures and what I really came for, the pride of The British Museum - The Elgin Marbles (or marble tablets from the Parthenon).

Despite not being the full set, the tablets filled a massive room and were extremely impressive despite many being damaged whilst the Parthenon had been used as a gunpowder store. Many were incomplete or had parts defaced but they were still the pride of the collection. There are many debates as to where the Elgin Marbles should be kept, but for now they look magnificent in the British Museum and are free from the pollution of Athens.

So why were we unimpressed to start with, well because we'd gone in the wrong entrance! The main entrance in Great Russell Street has extravagent sculptures over it and massive gates. It leads into a massive lobby with a central circular structure housing a seperate exhibition inside which is £8 per person with a cafe and shop located around the ground floor.

We did not look at everything, but when we visit London again (and we will) we definitely will give this what it deserves - at least half a day. For a free day out it is well worth it, and it is also a good way for older children to learn history.

And to cap it all, once we walked out the main entrance typically there were lots of eating places!

Despite our original impression, there is no doubt that this is definitely 5*.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/visiting/access_and_ facilities.aspx

Summary: One of the best "free" museums I've ever visited