About us | British Museum
Facade of Montagu House, looking across the forecourt, later the British Museum; a fountain in foreground, statues, shrubbery and lawned areas in forecourt; state before publication line. c.1715 Etching and engraving

About us

The first national public museum of the world.

The British Museum is unique in bringing together under one roof the cultures of the world, spanning continents and oceans. No other museum is responsible for collections of the same depth and breadth, beauty and significance.

Its eight million objects allow us to explore the extraordinary diversity of human cultures, from small communities to vast empires, to discover the many forms and expressions human beings have given to every aspect of life, and to realise how closely they are interconnected.