One of the UK’s biggest free attractions reveals more plans for its massive £1billion revamp
A TOP UK tourist attraction is set to undergo a huge multi-million-pound revamp over the next two years.
The north and south entrances of the British Museum are going to get a facelift, making them more attractive and practical for visitors.
After winning a contest, Studio Weave with Wright & Wright Architects, Webb Yates Engineers, Tom Massey Studio and Daisy Froud are the team responsible for bringing the museum’s new entrances to life.
Concept art from Studio Weave shows the entrance to the museum being covered by a reflective ceiling, with plants and stone benches dotted throughout the foyer area.
According to the Architects’ Journal, the designers will now work with the British Museum and other local partners to develop the designs.
Once the designs are fully developed, a planning application will be lodged.
The renovated entrances are expected to be in place by spring 2026.
Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum, said: “As the most visited building in the UK, and one of the top three most visited museums in the world, first impressions count.
“With the visitor welcome pavilions we’re striving to create the most inspiring greeting possible for the 6.2 million people (and counting) from across the nation and around the world who come through our doors each year – whether it’s their first visit or fifteenth, aged five or 95.
“We were very impressed by Studio Weave’s initial proposals. They perfectly balance a thoughtful visitor experience while remaining true to the British Museum’s historic building.
“I’m delighted to be working with them, and I look forward to leading the development of the designs in consultation with the London Borough of Camden and other key stakeholders to create something very special for everyone.”
It is not yet known how much the renovation to the entrances will cost – although it is part of a wider revamp project that’s forecast to cost roughly £1billion.
The news comes after the British Museum announced another huge renovation project earlier this year.
The Grade-I listed building’s “Western Range” will be the subject of the renovation, which has been dubbed “the museum’s biggest building project since the 1820s” by the Architects Journal.
The western area currently houses the museum’s collections of Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman artefacts.
Included in those are the Rosetta Stone, the inner coffin of Hornedjitef and the Parthenon Marbles, also referred to as the Elgin Marbles.
As part of the development, the museum will get new innovative gallery displays as well as the “introduction of contemporary architecture“.
The journal added that the development would be done “alongside sensitivity towards the need to respect and restore the highly significant and celebrated listed buildings on the site”.
Earlier this year, the Natural History Museum opened the Evolution Garden and the Nature Discovery Garden.
The London museum transformed a huge five-acre site into free-to-visit green spaces in the heart of the English capital.
Visitors to the two new gardens are taken on an immersive journey through billions of years of the planet’s history.
Museum-goers can learn about plants, geology, reptiles, birds and mammals.
A huge bronze cast statue of Dippy – one of the Natural History Museum’s much-loved attractions – takes centre stage new attraction.
Sun Travel's Favourite Museums in the UK
THERE are plenty of great museums dotted across the country, here are some of our favourites.
Victoria & Albert Museum – Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, which dates back to 1852, simply oozes history from the building itself to what’s in it, but that’s not to say its exhibitions are dated.
A free “songbook trail” from mega star, Taylor Swift, launches next week, plus there are installations from some of the most renowned artists in the world.
I can easily spend a whole day getting lost in its ancient collections tucked away in a hidden corner – sometimes it can feel like you have the whole place to yourself
Beamish – Ryan Gray, Travel Reporter
Beamish is unlike any typical “museum” in that it’s basically a fully-functioning town in County Durham, offering a genuine look at what life would have been like for people during various stages throughout the past.
It has a miners’ pit village, farms, shops, a pub, a school and even a dentist among its businesses and reconstructions, all created to provide people with an experience as close to stepping back in time as possible.
Recently, it has expanded to include a new 1950s town, which includes a toy shop, a welfare hall and a cinema that has been painstakingly brought in and rebuilt from Ryhope in Sunderland.
If I’m ever up in the north east, I try and make sure I pay a visit to Beamish to make the most of my annual ticket. It’s especially great at Christmas when the skating rink is up and carol singers can be found gathering in the town’s bandstand, along with brass bands if you turn up on the right day.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery – Hope Brotherton, Travel Reporter
It’s safe to say I fell in love with art, history and culture at this Birmingham-based museum.
Following a four-year closure, the museum partially reopened to the public with an exhibition on Victorian Radicals featuring a collection of paintings from the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
You can bet the next time I visit my hometown, I will be wandering through the exhibition.
Meanwhile, this UK town is home to one of the world’s best car museums.
And this world class UK museum reopened earlier this year.