Ashmolean Museum

The Ashmolean Museum stands on Beaumont Street in Oxford, a grand classical building designed by Charles Cockerell in the 1840s. It occupies a prominent corner near the university’s modern languages faculty, the Taylor Institution, which shares the same Ionic architectural style. The museum began in 1683 as Britain’s first public museum, originally housed in a smaller building on Broad Street. That early structure once displayed the last dodo specimen in Europe before it deteriorated. Today’s museum evolved from the University Galleries, later expanded by Sir Arthur Evans after he rescued the Ashmole collection from neglect. Evans also introduced archaeological treasures from his excavations in Crete.

The museum holds one of Britain’s finest art and archaeology collections, including masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Turner. Its holdings range from ancient Egyptian coffins and mummies to Pre-Raphaelite paintings and Victorian furniture. The collection features the Alfred Jewel, the Messiah Stradivarius violin, and works by Picasso, Rubens, and Pissarro. The Griffith Institute supports Egyptology research, while the library houses vast scholarly resources. A major redevelopment in 2009 doubled the display space and added new conservation studios. Recent galleries focus on Egypt, Nubia, and 19th-century art, revealing long-hidden objects.

Visitors walk through light-filled galleries arranged over five floors. The Chinese Picture Gallery, designed by van Heyningen and Haward Architects, showcases rare paintings in a modern setting. The museum includes a restaurant and gift shop, with views over Oxford’s spires. The restored Ruskin Gallery now displays Victorian art, including William Burges’s Great Bookcase. The Coin Room, funded by Charles Buller Heberden’s bequest, holds rare ancient and medieval coins. The building’s classical architecture frames the exhibits, while modern interventions preserve its heritage.