The British Museum is one of the largest museums in the world in terms of the richness of its collections. They were built up from 1753 and have been continually enriched since then. Several million objects from all continents, covering two million years.

Admission to the permanent collections is free, so the number of visitors can be a deterrent. Inside there is a continual movement from one room to another, rather than trying to see everything, it is better to concentrate on a few more attractive departments.

Building

The most captivating feature of the building is the Grand Court and its glass roof installed in 2000. The courtyard serves as a distribution point to the various collections. In the centre is a beautiful round reading room dating from 1857. The original buildings have been extended several times and consist of long parallel galleries surrounding the central court.

Antiquity

British archaeological missions were among the first to explore known ancient sites. At that time, the best finds were brought back to the sponsoring country and thus built up a large collection of artefacts of which only a small portion can be shown at any one time.

Canada

The long colonial presence in Canada could have encouraged a more abundant exhibition. The display contains mainly old and new clothing worn in powwows, the ever-popular dance contests. In the Great Court there are also totem poles from the West Coast in British Columbia.

Pre-Hispanic Mexico

Despite their spectacular remains, pre-Columbian civilisations are not well represented in the British Museum. A small room, however, contains sculptures representative of the Maya and of the civilisations that succeeded one another or lived side by side in the Yucatan.

Library

Until 1997, the British Museum housed the British Library, which has since been moved to its own building. The vacated shelves are now used as display cases for precious objects or medals. This long room was originally intended to house the personal library of King George III in the early 19th century.

Asia

The very long gallery devoted to this continent gradually shifts from one culture to another. The British presence in this part of the world has facilitated the study of the continent and the creation of a significant collection. Japan and Korea appear in complementary rooms.

Rothschild Collection

The museum has developed its collections through the contributions of missions to explore ancient civilisations. There are also acquisitions and donations by major collectors. For example, the Rothschild family, who moved to London in the 19th century, assembled a collection of Renaissance objects in their home at Waddesdon Manor. It was bequeathed to the British Museum in 1898.