The United States is 238 years old…that’s pretty old. But the British Museum is even older!
The British Museum in London was established in 1753, making it 24 years older than the United States, which was found in 1776.
That alone is quite a feat, however, it boasts some 8 million works which makes it one of the largest and most comprehensive museums in existence today.
The museum is dedicated to human history and culture and was established largely on the collections of Sir Hans Sloane, who was a physician and scientist. The museum is still based on the same site which was opened to the public in 1759.
Over time, several branch institutions have opened to accommodate more works as a result of Britain’s widespread footprint, the first of these being the Natural History Museum.
Imagine the sheer body of work that must be housed at this institution. The paperwork trail required to keep track of every item and its origin. Despite this, the museum remains a non-departmental public body and is sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Simply put, the museum has the same admission fee as every other national museum in the UK: free.