History of the British Museum’s buildings over the past 260 years

The Gateway of Montagu House, the old British Museum, in 1778. By Michael Angelo Rooker.

View of the garden front of Montagu House, 1728.

View of the new building attached to Montagu House for the British Museum. Illustration to the Gentleman's Magazine, 1810.

Robert Smirke’s design for the new quadrangle, 1823, showing the south elevation of the North Wing.

The Townley Gallery, part of the old British Museum. Watercolour by George Scharf, 1827.

Laying the foundations of the Lycian Room (now Room 15) of the British Museum. Watercolour by George Scharf, 1845.

Entrance to the old British Museum, Montagu House. Watercolour by George Scharf, 1845.

Staircase of the old British Museum in Montagu House. Watercolour by George Scharf, 1845.

View of the British Museum from Great Russell Street. Lithograph, 1853.

The colonnade and façade were finished in the 1850s. Photograph by Roger Fenton, 1855.

The Reading Room under construction. Photograph by William Lake Price, 1855.

Bird’s eye view of the Reading Room.

The Weston Hall was designed by Sydney Smirke in 1845. Painting by L W Collman.

Construction of the King Edward VII galleries began in 1907, designed by Sir John Burnet. Painting by Frank Lishman, 1910.

Postcard with a view of the Museum from Great Russell Street, 1905. Note the newly planted plane trees.

The King’s Library (now the Enlightenment Gallery). Photograph by Donald Macbeth c. 1910.

This photograph shows the King Edward VII galleries being opened by George V and Queen Mary in 1914.

In 1941 the Coin Room and upper western galleries were destroyed by fire following an air raid during the Blitz.

In the 1950s, building works repaired damage done to the book stacks during the Second World War.

Postcard showing an aerial view of the British Museum, looking north, c. 1930s.

Postcard: the colonnade (centre), King's Library (top left), King Edward VII Gallery (top right), Reading Room (bottom left) and Large Elgin Room (bottom right), c. 1930s.

Photograph showing the demolition of the book stacks in preparation of the building of the Great Court, 1998.

The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court opened in 2000, designed by Norman Foster.

Construction of the Great Court roof, which consists of 3,312 glass panels.

The finished Great Court, 2000.

The Enlightenment Gallery reopened after four years’ restoration work in 2003.

Construction of the basement level of the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre, 2012.

The World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre opened in 2014.

The new purpose-built Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery is part of the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre.

The World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre also includes state-of-the-art conservation studios, laboratories and collections storage.

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