A history of the world in 8 million objects
Founded in 1753 and opened in 1759, the British Museum was the first national “encyclopedic” or “universal” museum – its holdings of eight million objects come from almost every continent and span two million years. The museum originated from the vast collection of Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753), a physician and President of the Royal Society, who had amassed more than 80,000 “natural and artificial rarities”, some 40,000 books and manuscripts and 32,000 coins and medals. With more than 60 permanent galleries, including those dedicated to Egypt, the Roman Empire, Africa, the Islamic world and the European Enlightenment, the museum also organizes and hosts special exhibitions.
The Greek Revival-style building in Bloomsbury is of great architectural importance, too. Designed by the architect Sir Robert Smirke and completed in 1852, it won the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Gold Medal the following year. It has since been added to, most notably with the Norman Foster-designed Great Court, which opened in 2000. Its unique glass and steel roof makes it the largest covered public square in Europe.
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