The British Museum is a public museum in Bloomsbury, central London, where objects from different societies are displayed across a building that is itself part of the story. It was founded by an Act of Parliament in 1753 and opened to visitors in 1759, first in Montagu House. Today the collection numbers about eight million objects, although only a small proportion is on display at any one time. The visit can move from ancient Egypt to Greece, Assyria, the Islamic world and many other histories in a few galleries. It is also a place to think about how museums acquired objects and how their meaning changes when they are displayed far from where they were made.
The institution began with several collections brought together for public use. Sir Hans Sloane, an Irish physician and president of the Royal Society, left his extensive books, specimens, coins and antiquities to the nation at his death in 1753. Parliament created the museum that year, bringing Sloane’s collection together with the Cotton and Harley libraries and the Royal Library. The first public opening followed six years later. At the time, access was more restricted than the word “public” may suggest: visitors applied for tickets and often saw the objects in small guided groups.
