Live Life Team
The British Museum is one of the best attractions in London that families, especially kids, should visit. With approximately more than 7 million objects from collections, it is among the world’s largest and most comprehensive museums. The museum is a non-departmental public body held by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport. Like other art galleries and national museums in the UK, the British Museum has no admission fee, although sometimes charges are imposed for special exhibitions.
The British Museum was established in 1754 by Sir Hans Sloane, a physician, naturalist, and collector of more than 71,000 objects, with a library and herbarium. It was first opened on January 15, 1759 in a mansion built in the 17th century, Montagu House, situated in Bloomsbury (the current museum site).
Today, the British Museum has developed into one of the largest museums in the world with an exhibition area of over 75,000 square metres, showcasing about 50,000 items from its collection by culture, place, people, or material. There are almost 100 galleries open to the public, including collection departments, such as the Department of Ancient Egypt and the Sudan, the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, the Department of the Middle East, the Department of Prints and Drawings, the Department of Asia, and Libraries and Archives.
The museum is open for families and children with its Ford Centre for Young Visitors, a picnic-style eating area with water fountains, highchairs, and vending machines for treats. Hundreds of books, puzzles, games, and souvenirs are available from the shops in the Great Court. In addition to the current trails and activities, there are two new family trails available to help children explore and enjoy the museum’s collections.
