The Museums collection continued to get bigger over the following years, and more and more buildings were added to hold the new objects.
Important discoveries by people working for the British Museum included the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus by Charles Newton in 1857 and the Temple of Artemis in 1869.
Many things found at these sites were taken to the Museum, where they have remained ever since.
In 1852 the British Museum's famous round Reading Room was opened.
It had enough space to display a million books at once.

The collection continued to get bigger and bigger.
Eventually the Natural History Museum was set up in 1887 to hold the natural parts of the Museum's collection.
It was around this time that electric lights were first put in the Museum.
It was one of the first public places in England to do so.

In the early 1900s the Museum's board of directors bought all the houses surrounding it, knocked them all down and built over them.
In 1939, just before the start of World War II, most of the Museum's exhibits were taken to other places because the directors were worried the Nazis might bomb the Museum during the Blitz.
The exhibits were stored in old London Underground stations, as well as other places.
The evacuation proved to be a good idea, as parts of the Museum were destroyed by bombs in 1940.
The Museums collection continued to get bigger over the following years, and more and more buildings were added to hold the new objects. Important discoveries by people working for the British Museum included the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus by Charles Newton in 1857 and the Temple of Artemis in 1869. Many things found at these sites were taken to the Museum, where they have remained ever since. In 1852 the British Museum's famous round Reading Room was opened. It had enough space to display a million books at once.
The collection continued to get bigger and bigger. Eventually the Natural History Museum was set up in 1887 to hold the natural parts of the Museum's collection. It was around this time that electric lights were first put in the Museum. It was one of the first public places in England to do so.
In the early 1900s the Museum's board of directors bought all the houses surrounding it, knocked them all down and built over them. In 1939, just before the start of World War II, most of the Museum's exhibits were taken to other places because the directors were worried the Nazis might bomb the Museum during the Blitz. The exhibits were stored in old London Underground stations, as well as other places. The evacuation proved to be a good idea, as parts of the Museum were destroyed by bombs in 1940.
British Museum