British Museum to close on key day in summer – but it won’t say why
Exclusive: Speculation that the closure is related to French president Emmanuel Macron’s state visit as 18,000 visitors face disappointment
Aliver
The UK’s most popular tourist attraction, the British Museum in London, has suddenly announced it will close for the day on Wednesday 9 July.
The decision comes at a time when London is thronged with tourists.
On its website, the museum says only: “We will be closed for a Museum event on 9 July. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
But The Independent has seen a message that was sent on Monday to members of the British Museum, who pay £74 annual for admission to exhibitions and members-only events.
It reads: “On Wednesday 9 July, the Museum will be closed for a Museum event. I appreciate this will be disappointing for anyone planning to visit that day and I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Although no further details are available at this stage, I am very happy to discuss it further with Members following the event and we aim to be in contact with more information as soon as possible.”
The message ends by highlighting “a range of online content this week”.
The sudden closure and refusal to reveal the reason have led to speculation online about possible explanations.
The first is that the museum will close for French president Emmanuel Macron, who is on a state visit to the UK.
The broadcaster Hugh Sykes posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Related to Macron peut-être?”, while Alicia Hayes speculated: “Taking down the Elgin Marbles to handover to Greece?”
A travel blog account, Viaggieri Leggeri, suggested: “Jeff Bezos’ wedding reception, maybe?”
Whatever the true reason, many tourists are likely to be disappointed. On an average day last year, 17,900 people visited what is said to be the oldest national museum in the world.
Many tourists are on tight schedules and may be unable to reschedule – and those that can rearrange their trips face intense crowding when it reopens on Thursday 10 July.
The British Museum was founded in 1753 to house the collection of 71,000 items bequeathed by the traveller and collector Hans Sloane.
The present building in Bloomsbury has been the museum’s home since the mid-19th century.
A number of objects are described by the museum as “contested”, including the Parthenon Sculptures – also known as the Elgin Marbles.
