Great Russell Street forecourt and entrance

From the Great Russell Street approach, take in the row of columns and the triangular front above them. These forms recall ancient Greek temples. Robert Smirke, the architect responsible for much of the nineteenth-century Museum, used that vocabulary for a building intended to hold collections from many parts of the world. The broad facade can make the Museum look like one building conceived at once. Its rooms and collections developed over generations. Beyond the entrance, the glass-roofed Great Court belongs to a much later transformation. The front steps rise towards the main doors, with lifts beside them for the change in level. Follow the entrance signs through the forecourt and security. Once inside, the circular Reading Room provides a recognizable landmark for choosing a gallery.