The British Museum was first opened in 1759, making it the oldest public museum in England, housing many treasures from around the world. It was first housed in a building called Mantagu House which stood on the spot of the current museum but was demolished in the 1840’s to make way for the present much larger building, which was designed in the neoclassical style by architect Sir Robert Smirke in 1823 and opened to the public in 1857. The museum is free and well worth a visit.
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