St Pancras tourist information, travel and accommodation services for areas near St Pancras and travel to Europe. We are sponsored by various local companies and services.
This website is not affiliated in any way with or endorsed by HighSpeed1 Limited.
This website is not affiliated in any way with or endorsed by HighSpeed1 Limited.
The British Museum
About the British MuseumThe British Museum in St Pancras is largely considered to be the world’s biggest, most extensive collection of human culture and history, covering some eight million items. This museum was first created in 1753 but first opened to the public in 1759. It then saw many expansions over the next two and a half centuries to become what it is today.DepartmentsThe museum has many different departments including ones from Ancient Egypt and Sudan, the Middle East, Asia, Greece and Rome, Coins and Medals, Africa, Oceana, and the Americas among a couple others. They have a very large collection of Egyptian artifacts; in fact, they have the largest collection (outside of the one in Cairo) which numbers 100,000 items. Their collection of Greek and Roman artifacts reaches over 100,000 pieces as well some dating from the Greek Bronze Age or the 4th century AD in Rome.AntiquesOutside of Iraq, this museum offers an impressive number of items including many Mesopotamian antiquities among the nearly 330,000 works. Of course with any collection this big that ranges over so many countries there are several disputed pieces. Among the disputed pieces are the Rosetta Stone which was claimed by Egypt, the Elgin Marbles from Parthenon claimed by Greece, the Diamond Sutra claimed by China, and the Benin Bronzes claimed by Nigeria to name a few.The British Museum todayToday, the museum is open every day and free to all guests. Since there are over eight million historical pieces in the collection, it is suggested that visitors use the museum’s website to highlight specific parts of the museum to see. They have a neat feature that allows you to choose how long you want to spend there and they will recommend what you should see. They have shopping available, as well as food at the Court Restaurant. In the food court, they have tea cafes, diners, and places for other cold or hot drinks. The great court is perhaps one of the best places to see as it is the largest covered public square in all of Europe. The court covers two acres and is covered with a glass roof and contains the world famous Reading Room at its centre. | > |