THE BRITISH MUSEUM
The 19th Century American traveller Mary Sherwood wrote “To look at and properly appreciate the British Museum is the work of a lifetime” – and she had a good point.
It is one of the world’s greatest museums and if you looked for one minute at every object it owns, you’d be there – without breaks to eat or sleep – for more than 12 years. Even allowing for the fact that ‘only’ 50,000 objects are on display at any one time, no-one has time for all that! I am here to help you see the exhibits that most interest you in a focused tour either of the classic highlights of the collection or on any particular theme, geographic area or time period that particularly interests you.
We’ll discuss your visit in advance so that I can tailor the itinerary to make sure that you get the most out of what can, without guidance, be a rather overwhelming building and experience.
The first-time visitor might want to take a “sampler” tour of the Museum’s most famous pieces: the Rosetta Stone, which unlocked the secret of Egyptian hieroglyphics; the marble Parthenon Sculptures, famously brought from Athens by Lord Elgin; the Aztec mosaic masks; ‘Lindow Man’, a 1st-century fellow who met a rather ‘sticky’ end, the Sutton Hoo ship burial treasure – and, of course, the Egyptian mummies. Or you might have a particular interest in a country, a civilisation, a period of time or a certain form of art or archaeology.
Classical Greece or Roman Britain? Ancient Egypt, Mediaeval Europe or China? The “BM” has fascinating collections covering almost every world civilization, epoch and culture and I can devise a special tour that focusses in on one or more detailed topics according to your interest.
My goal is to introduce you to this unique collection and get the most out of your visit, whatever length of time you have to spare and at whatever level of detail you wish to go – and to inspire you to want to return to explore further and appreciate more of the treasures of this amazing Museum.
This morning or afternoon tour lasts approximately three hours and we can either meet at the Museum or I can pick you up at your hotel. There are refreshment options and lavatories in the Museum. You might like to combine your visit with a further half-day tour of the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington. Please take a look at the page for the V & A.To book this tour, please get in touch via the ‘Contact Me’ button.