British Museum
The British Museum in London attracts over five million visitors every year and is home to over 13 million objects of cultural, historical, artistic, and scientific importance. Its impressive neo-classical façade on Great Russell Street in Bloomsbury, houses some of the world's most famous treasures.
The first items in the British Museum's collection came from the physician, naturalist, and collector, Sir Hans Sloane, who died in 1753. In his will, Sloane bequeathed his library, herbarium and collection of more than 71,000 objects to the King for the sum of £20,000.
Highlights of the British Museum's collections include the Rosetta Stone, the epic of Gilgamesh, material from the Palace of Knossos, the Standard of Ur, the Elgin Marbles, the Black Obelisk, and the largest collection of Egyptian antiquities outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. In addition to the collections, the British Museum has a comprehensive library and reading room. Regular workshops, performances, storytelling, and other events take place here, and free art materials are provided for children.
Entry to the British Museum is free, although there is a charge for some special exhibitions. The Museum is open every day except 24th to 26th December, 1st January, and Good Friday, and there is late opening on Thursdays and Fridays. The nearest underground stations are Holborn, Tottenham Court Road, Russell Square, and Goodge Street.
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