Saturday 7th February 2026 – 11:00–15:30
Led by John Swanson and Helen Hayhoe
The British Museum is one of the greatest in the world. Its vast collection includes the Parthenon marbles, the Sutton Hoo treasures, and the gallery of Egyptian mummies.
Individual entry to the museum is free via the main entrace on Great Russel Street. However, please note that USk London have secured 3 group tickets to enter from the Montague Place entrance – please see below (key times and meeting point for the day) for details. Visit | British Museum
The museum is aware of our visit. They ask that only dry materials are used for drawing in the museum.
Also, as Saturday is a busy day at the museum, and we are asked to avoid blocking walkways or movement of people or, indeed views of objects, while drawing.
Key times and meeting points for the day
11am onwards: Meet in the southeast corner of the Great Court, behind the information desk and the roman statue ‘Youth on Horseback’. If you enter via the main entrance, walk through into the Great Court; the meeting area is to the right. If you enter from Montague Place, follow the signs to the Great Court via gallery 24; the meeting point is at the far end of the court, on the left.
*STOP PRESS*
We have arranged group entry to the museum, to avoid overcrowding. There will be 3 batches entering from the Montague Place entrance on the north side of the museum:
15 people at 10:50
26 people at 11:00
34 people at 11:10
Google map location: Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG
w3w location: ///lovely.lucky.bigger
1pm: Meet by the roman statue ‘Youth on Horseback’ for the first throw down.
3.30pm: Meet in the same place for the second throw down.
For those who would like to stay on, there is a café in the Great Court which is open until 5pm. Alternatively, the Museum Tavern is on Great Russell Street, opposite the museum’s main entrance.
Opportunities to draw
There are more than 60 galleries in the museum, providing a huge range of drawing opportunities. If you aren’t familiar with the museum, you might like to consult their website to plan in advance:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/galleries
Alternatively, the building itself is a spectacular subject for drawing. Possibilities include the colonnaded facade on the main entrance, the Reading Room in the Great Court, or the great staircase rising up from the entrance hall.
Practical information
Getting there: The nearest Underground Stations are Tottenham Court Road (Central and Northern Lines), Russell Square (Piccadilly Line) and Holborn (Central and Piccadilly Lines). There are also many bus services serving the area.
Access: The Museum is highly accessible. Further information including arrangements you can make in advance is available here Accessibility at the Museum | British Museum
Toilets
There are toilets in various locations in the museum. The Great Court has toilets beneath the old Reading Room.
Refreshments There is a café in the Great Court, and other smaller cafes elsewhere in the museum
Hi, I cannot see the link to book for the 7th. Thanks
Hello, looking forward to trying my hand at a London sketch with you soon
Do you know if we’re allowed to bring a light fold up chair for February 7th sketching into the British museum ?