On Friday 21st October, members of the Society explored the world and expanded their minds with a highlights tour of the amazing British Museum, led by Blue Badge Tourist Guide Caroline Piper.
The British Museum explores the history of mankind under one roof, so it can be difficult to know where to start! A good place is with the museum building itself, the elegant Greek Revival quadrangular building and the cutting edge glass roof of the Great Court designed by Norman Foster. The group then dipped into multiple different civilizations, from the Egyptians to ancient Britain. Highlights were the statue of Rameses the Great that inspired Shelly’s haunting poem “Ozymandius of Egypt”, the sheer artistic excellence of the Parthenon Sculptures and a naturally created mummy from the pre-dynastic period of Egypt. We then took a dive into Britain’s history from the Bronze Age to the early medieval period, with a highlight being the Anglo-Saxon treasures from Sutton Hoo, including the iconic helmet which both resembles a human face and a mythical winged creature. We emerged inspired, exactly as the museum intends!
Organised by Caroline Piper