British Museum Reading Room

The British Museum Reading Room, situated in the centre of the Great Court of the British Museum, used to be the main reading room of the British Library. In 1997, this function moved to the new British Library building at St Pancras, London, but the Reading Room remains in its original form. Designed by Sydney Smirke on a suggestion by the Library's Chief Librarian Anthony Panizzi, following an earlier competition idea by William Hosking, the Reading Room was in continual use from 1857 until its temporary closure in 1997. The Reading Room's domed roof is metal framed, and the surface that makes up the ceiling is a type of papier-mâché. Access was restricted to registered researchers only; however, reader's credentials were generally available to anyone who could show that they were a serious researcher.

Famous readers

The Reading Room was used by a large number of famous figures, including notably Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Karl Marx, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, Mahatma Gandhi, Rudyard Kipling, George Orwell, George Bernard Shaw, Mark Twain, Lenin, Norbert Elias, Virginia Woolf, Arthur Rimbaud and H. G. Wells.

Current use

Following the collection's move to the new site, the old Reading Room was opened to the public in 2000, following a renovation and addition of a gridshell roof by noted architect Norman Foster. It houses a modern information centre, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Centre and a collection of books on history, art, travel, and other subjects relevant to the museum's collections, on open shelves.

In 2006 the British Museum announced its plans to modify the Reading Room to house a temporary exhibition entitled 'The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army'. This has involved building a new floor above the existing reading desks. It will revert to its former use in 2012. Details of the exhibitions that have been held in the Reading Room are:

  • The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army (13 September 2007 - 6 April 2008)
  • Hadrian: Empire and Conflict (24 July - 27 October 2008)
  • Shah ʿAbbas: The Remaking of Iran (19 February - 14 June 2009)
  • Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler (24 September 2009 – 24 January 2010)

References in art and popular culture

The British Museum Reading Room has become iconic. It is the subject of an eponymous poem, The British Museum Reading Room, by Louis MacNeice. Much of the action of David Lodge's 1965 novel The British Museum Is Falling Down takes place in the old Reading Room. showing an almost 180-degree view of the interior of the Reading Room]] Alfred Hitchcock used the Reading Room and the dome of the British Museum as a location for the climax of his first sound film Blackmail (1929). Other movies with key scenes in the Reading Room include Night of the Demon (1957) and in the 2001 Japanese anime OVA Read or Die, the Reading Room is used as the secret entrance to the British Library's fictional "Special Operations Division".

Probably the first work of fiction in which the British Museum Reading Room plays an important part as a setting is "New Grub Street" by George Gissing. Published in 1891.

References

External links

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Pinar E.
6 April 2017
A must-do for London. Free entrance is an opportunity; even if you arent a museum lover, you can even spend two hours walking around great historical artifacts. Dont miss Assyrian Lamassul sculptures
M U
7 January 2017
All the ???? is here!If you are especially interested in Egypt section,go early. Gets quite crowded.You can't see everything.Plan from the map according to your interests.Put on layers of clothes.????❄️
David
17 June 2015
Very rich collection of ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, European and Asian artefacts. The Rosette stone and Ramses II head are among the most famous pieces. Free WiFi.
Nico Macdonald
26 August 2016
Great exhibitions (in two exhibition spaces), lovely smaller temporary exhibits, good lectures and family events, wonderful space in The Great Court, clear and well-designed signage, pleasant spaces.
Tom Coates
4 April 2018
Of the world’s greatest museums if not the world’s greatest museum. Go for the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin marbles, the amazing Mesopotamian structures and the great court in the center.
Maria
9 April 2019
Amazing place and it’s a must if you visit London! You can spend hours & hours inside so plan well if you are time poor. Worth to hire the audio as it can be really crowded to get too close.
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