British Museum

The British Museum was founded in 1753 to promote a better public understanding of the arts, natural history and science. It contains one of the world’s greatest displays of antiquities, documenting the rise and fall of civilisations from all over the world. The museum opened to the public in 1759, with the famous Rosetta Stone being presented to the museum in 1802, along with many other Egyptian antiquities. As well as the Rosetta Stone, the museum also houses many other famous objects including the Elgin Marbles, currently at the centre of debate as to whether they should be returned to Greece. Today, the museum’s collection, which is in excess of six million objects, comprises art and antiquities from Egypt, Western Asia, Greece, Rome and Europe, amongst others. The spectacular Great Court, with its impressive glass roof, was opened in 2000, following the relocation of the British Library to St Pancras, and is the largest covered public square in Europe. Entry is free but there is a charge for some temporary exhibitions.