Montagu House

building, London, United Kingdom

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June 30, 2026

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Montagu House was a building in Bloomsbury, London, constructed between 1675 and 1680 for Ralph Montagu, 1st duke of Montagu. Designed by Robert Hooke, it featured notable frescoes by Antonio Verrio.1

In 1753, the British government purchased Montagu House to house a national collection of antiquities. This collection formed the nucleus of the British Museum, which opened to the public in 1759. The museum was established to preserve and maintain collections for the "general use and benefit of the public". The initial collections came from Sir Robert Cotton, Robert Harley, and Sir Hans Sloane.12

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Ralph Montagu, 1st duke of Montagu
He built Montagu House, in Bloomsbury, London, in 1675–80 to the designs of Robert Hooke; it contained some of Antonio Verrio’s finest frescoes. Bought by the government in 1753 to hold the national collection of antiquities, it became the nucleus of the British Museum and Library.
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He built Montagu House, in Bloomsbury, London, in 1675–80 to the designs of Robert Hooke; it contained some of Antonio Verrio’s finest frescoes. Bought by the government in 1753 to hold the national collection of antiquities, it became the nucleus of the British Museum and Library.
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Bloomsbury
For a century Montagu House held the main collections of the British Museum, but the house was demolished and replaced by the current, expansive neoclassical structure in the mid-19th century. A familiar area landmark, the BT Tower (1964; formerly the Post Office Tower), rises to the west of…
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For a century Montagu House held the main collections of the British Museum, but the house was demolished and replaced by the current, expansive neoclassical structure in the mid-19th century. A familiar area landmark, the BT Tower (1964; formerly the Post Office Tower), rises to the west of…
Read More