WELCOME back to Monday Miles, our weekly travel series where we journey through some of the world’s most fascinating destinations, from historic landmarks to cultural gems. My name is Dillon Pillay, and I am the journalist for the Southlands Sun newspaper.

Also read: Monday Miles: Appreciating art at the V&A museum [Video]

This week, we’re trading grand scale art pieces for marble corridors and ancient grandeur as we tour one of the world’s biggest and oldest institutions, the British Museum.

Located in Bloomsbury, London, the British Museum is home to more than 8 million objects representing two million years of human history. Founded in 1753 and opened in 1759, it was the world’s first national museum to cover all areas of human knowledge.

But apart from its world-famous treasures like the Rosetta Stone, Parthenon sculptures and Egyptian mummies, this museum holds a treasure of interesting stories and horrifying secrets that make it stand out.

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This week’s Monday Miles sees us continuing our journey through the museums of London where we explore The British Museum. Join Southlands Sun journalist, Dillon Pillay as he takes us on a tour through The British Museum. #mondaymiles #travel #london #britishmuseum #southlandssun

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Some of these interesting facts include:

• It is older than the United States of America – Founded in 1753 and opened in 1759, the British Museum is 17 years older than the American Declaration of Independence.
• Once had a dedicated tube station for over 30 years – The Underground Station of the British Museum was opened in 1900 and operated until 1933.
• Had a cat guarding the museum gates – From 1909 to 1929, there was a cat named Mike, the local legend for watching over the museum entrance. When he died, TIME magazine and Evening Standard ran obituaries in his honour.
• One of the first London buildings to use electrical lighting – Put in place in 1879, the trial lighting at the museum allowed visitors to come after dark, a revolutionary concept at the time.
• It began with a collector’s dream – The museum was built around the vast personal collection of Sir Hans Sloane, who collected more than 80 000 natural and artificial curiosities, 40 000 books, and 32 000 coins and medals.
• Just 1% of the collection is put on show – Of more than 8 million items, just 80 000 objects are on display at any one time, with the rest stored or loaned to museums across the world.
• It is a global hub of research and sharing – The museum lends nearly 4 000 objects to other museums every year, sharing its wealth far and wide beyond London.
• Hollywood’s museum – The museum starred in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), filming over three nights with the use of helium balloon lights, 200 staff and even monkeys on set.
• Tutankhamun madness swept through London in 1972 – The Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition attracted 1.6 million visitors, the museum’s highest attended show to date.
• Access to 2 million objects online – The museum’s catalogue online allows individuals to examine collections anywhere on earth.

From Egyptian relics to modern-day pop culture icons, the British Museum is not merely a museum, it is a living history of humanity. No matter how the objects got there, each piece tells their own story.

That is all for this week, catch you next week and we explore the football side of life.

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