Things to do in London - The British Museum

The origins of The British Museum date back to 1753, the year in which Sir Hans Sloane bequeathed his private collection consisting of 71,000 objects to King George II for the nation in return for payment of £20,000 to his heirs. From the very beginning the new institution was governed by a body of trusted people whereas the collection of the museum belonged to to the nation that could attend it without admission fee. The natural history collections grew swiftly and similarly increased the number of visitors, particularly during the 19th century. In 2003 The Museum relived its 250th anniversary which was associated with with the resoration of the King’s Library and the start of a new exhibit called ‘Enlightenment: Discovering the world in the eighteenth century’. Today this institution is subject to uncountable masses of tourists every year. Placed on the Great Russell Street, the museum is huge and contains two and half miles of exhibits, thus a good pair of walking shoes is highly recommended. Expect everything under the dome, from old Mesopotamia, Egypt and Roman art through China to the times of Anglo-Saxon Britain.