Kellys_1917_0529.jpg

22

k e l l y ’ s g u id e

to

london— w est

central

d is t r ic t .

W .C. DISTRICT.

T

H O U G H the area w h ic h is s ty le d the W e ste rn C en tral D is tric t b y the Postal
A u th o ritie s is the sm allest of a ll such d istricts, it has ye t been considered best

here to su b -d iv id e it o w in g to the fact that so very m an y o f the m ost im portant
b u ild in g s, e tc ., i r
C h a rin g Cross.

he M etro p o lis are to b e found in the im m ed iate v ic in ity o f

T h is S outhern portion o f the W .C . D is tr ic t is therefore given

under the h e ad in g o f the S tran d and C h a rin g C ross S e ctio n .

In the N orthern

part o f the d istrict b y far the m ost im portant b u ild in g is

THE BRITISH MUSEUM,

o f w h ich L o n d on ers speak w ith such pride, but

w h ich in fa ct is alm ost e n tire ly frequented b y v isitors to the M etrop olis.

It

ce rta in ly con tain s a c o lle c tio n of a n tiq u itie s w h ich taken as a w h o le has no equal
in th e w o rld , and though it m ay be im p o ssib le to attem pt to see m ore than a
sm all portion o f its treasures, no v isito r to L o n d o n sh ou ld fa il to pay one v is it to
th e M useum .

T h e G ree k and R om an Scu lptu res are few in num ber but are of

profound in terest, as are a lso the m arbles in t h e .E lg in R oom , w h ich are ch iefly
from the P arth en on at A th en s.

T h e y w ere b rou gh t to E n g la n d b y L o rd E lg in

an d purchased b y the N a tio n from h im in

1816.

from 440 B .C . the go ld e n age o f H e lle n ic A rt.

T h e latter no d ou bt date
In the N in ev e h G a lle ry are

bas re lie fs from the palace o f S en nach erib 721— 625 B .C .

T h e cases in the H a ll

co n tain in g the M an u scripts are fille d w ith autographs and letters o f the most
in terestin g ch aracter p o ssib le— as fo r instance th e d eclara tio n sign e d b y Cranm er
an d the S e ve n B ish ops, a letter o f C h a rles I. w ritten w h en h e w as a prisoner
at C arisb ro oke C a stle (Case 2), a letter to Jam es I I . from the D u k e o f M o n ­
m outh b e g g in g th at h is life m ay be spared (C ase 3), N e lso n ’ s sketch p lan of
th e battle o f the N ile and an unfinished letter from h im to L a d y H am ilto n
w ritten

on the eve o f the b a ttle o f T r a fa lg a r (C ase 4), etc.

T h e co llectio n s

o f rare a n cien t po ttery o f a ll k in ds, genis, coins, cam eos & c ., though p rice ­
le ss, can h ave no g rea t gen eral attraction s fo r a ll, b ut s t ill no one can fa il to
b e interested in

the m um m ies and m um m y cases in

S om e o f the m um m ies are n e arly 4,000 years o ld .

the E g y p tia n

room s.

In the second E g y p tia n room ,

w i ll be seen th at o f C le o p atra , as also her coffin.

O n th e N o rth sid e o f the

E n tran ce H a ll is the R e a d in g R oom , w h ich w as b u ilt som e fifty years a g o and is
a large circu la r h a ll 140 ft. in diam eter.

T h e num ber o f p rin ted b ooks in the

lib ra ry is o v er 2,000,000.
T h e M useum is open free to the p u b lic from 10 a.m . to 4 p.m . in w in ter and
6 p .m . in sum m er.