The origins of the British Museum lie in the will of the physician, naturalist and collector, Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753). He bequeathed it to King George II for the nation in return for payment of £20,000 to his heirs. The King had little interest but Parliament, led by the Speaker, Arthur Onslow, was persuaded to accept the gift. An Act of Parliament establishing the British Museum received the royal assent on 7 June 1753. The Museum was first housed in a seventeenth-century mansion, Montagu House, in Bloomsbury on the site of today's building. On 15 January 1759 the British Museum opened to the public. The Museum celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2003 with the resoration of the King's Library, the Museum's oldest room. We were there in August of 1999.
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| The Rosetta Stone Close Up View To Compare The Three Language Types. |
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| Audrey And The Tomb | George And The Tomb |
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| George And The Egyptian | The Real Rosetta Stone |
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| Audrey And Big Ben | George And Big Ben |
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| British Museum Entrance | Audrey And The Sarcophagus |
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