Museum Building · London, United Kingdom
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Built 1753–1759. It drew 5,821,000 visitors in 2023.
Photo: Ham via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Type | Museum Building |
| Built | 1753–1759 |
| Architect | Robert Smirke |
| Annual visitors (2023) | 5,821,000 |
| Coordinates | 51.5194° N, 0.1269° W |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What British Museum is known for
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London.
About British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million artefacts is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.
History
Although today principally a museum of cultural art objects and antiquities, the British Museum was founded as a "universal museum". Its foundations lie in the will of the Anglo-Irish physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753), a London-based doctor and scientist from Ulster.
Planning a visit? Visit the official British Museum website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | London |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | London City Airport (LCY) |
| Distance from the airport | 7.7 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- London Heathrow Airport (LHR) · London, United Kingdom · 14.7 miles away
- London Gatwick Airport (LGW) · London, United Kingdom · 25.7 miles away
- London Luton Airport (LTN) · Luton, Luton, United Kingdom · 26.6 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in United Kingdom
More museum buildings
Frequently asked questions
What is British Museum?
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London.
Where is British Museum located?
British Museum is in London, United Kingdom. Its coordinates are 51.5194° N, 0.1269° W.
How do I get to British Museum?
The nearest town is London, and the nearest airport is London City Airport (LCY), about 7.7 miles away (straight line).
When was British Museum built?
British Museum was built 1753–1759.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6373 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://www.britishmuseum.org/ — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.