Luggage storage near the British Museum

Your London adventure would not be complete without visiting the fascinating British Museum. With a surface area of 807 000 square feet (75,000 m2), the British Museum is one of the largest museums in the world! Its collections gather pieces, including coins, manuscripts, classical sculptures, books, and medals from around the world. Covering over 2 million years of human history, this museum will take you on a journey through the history of humankind.

In its early days, the British Museum was known to be a vast mansion known as the Montagu House, built by Ralph Montagu, the 1st Duke of Montagu, back in 1679. Seven years later, Montagu House was unfortunately destroyed in a massive blaze. The house was later rebuilt, auctioned, and turned into a museum, which opened its door to the public in 1759.

Over the centuries, the museum's collections have grown through purchases, bequests, and donations. New galleries were added to the original building to accommodate the museum's growing collections. The British Museum began its construction in 1823. The first wing to be built was the King's Library (the Enlightenment Gallery). It was, for instance, home to King George III's collection of 65 000 books donated by his son George VI in 1823. However, the area was not fully open to the public until 1857. When the first world war occurred, the British Museum remained open during the first year, organizing a series of lectures for the Belgian refugees. On March 1916, the museum closed its door to the public under unwanted circumstances. Precious objects were stored under deep tunnels beneath London. While the museum remained closed to the public, several government departments relocated to the museum.

In 1939, when the second world war happened, the museum was forced to close its door again, with collections moved to secure locations. One of the items was Elgin Marbles, stored in a vacant tunnel of the Aldwych tube station. The authorities made a good decision in moving the collection as, in 1940, the museum suffered extensive damage during a bombing raid. After the war, reparation and reconstruction took place, with galleries being remodeled. An Act of Parliament in 1972 founded the British Library, separating the museum's extensive books and manuscripts from the rest of the collection. And in 1997, the British Library found a new home in St Pancras. This move left the British Museum with plenty of space. With that, the committee created the Great Court in the 19th century. The Great Court, covered by an enormous glass roof, is the largest covered square in Europe. Today, the British Museum welcomes over 15 million visitors annually, making it one of the most visited museums in the world.

Find more information about the British Museum right here: https://www.britishmuseum.org/