The development of British museums is closely linked with national history and social progress. The British Museum, founded in 1753, is the world’s first national public museum. Its original intention of establishment is not to collect precious treasures for the royal family, but to provide public cultural education resources for all citizens. Since the 18th century, Britain has gradually formed a complete museum system. In the Victorian era, with the prosperity of national economy and culture, a large number of art museums, science museums and historical museums were built, covering urban and rural areas across the country. The most distinctive feature of British museum culture is public welfare and popularization. Most national and local public museums implement permanent free opening policies, including permanent exhibitions and basic public services. Whether local students, ordinary citizens or foreign tourists, they can visit and learn for free. Museums are no longer exclusive places for scholars and elites, but open cultural spaces for all people. This policy greatly promotes the popularization of art, history and scientific knowledge, and improves the overall cultural quality of British citizens. British museums pay special attention to educational functions and interactive experience. Every museum is equipped with professional explanation teachers, student activity classrooms and interactive exhibition areas. Primary and secondary school students in the UK take museum visiting as a regular course activity. Teachers organize students to visit historical museums to understand national history, visit science museums to explore scientific principles, and visit art museums to improve aesthetic ability. Museums have become the most important off-campus education base in British education system. In addition to large national museums, Britain has a large number of small and exquisite local museums and themed museums. Many small towns and villages have local history museums, recording the local development process, folk customs and celebrity deeds. Literary museums such as Shakespeare’s former residence, Dickens Museum and Sherlock Holmes Museum attract countless literary lovers every year. Professional museums such as railway museums, postal museums and toy museums reflect the diversified and detailed cultural perspective of British museum construction. Of course, British museums also face widespread international controversy. A large number of cultural relics collected in the colonial era have triggered continuous discussions on cultural relics ownership and historical inheritance. In recent years, the British museum industry has also begun to reflect on colonial history, increase diversified cultural interpretation, and actively respond to international cultural heritage protection appeals. In general, British museum culture embodies the core concepts of public welfare, openness, education and inheritance. It not only preserves precious historical and cultural heritage for the country, but also provides lifelong learning and cultural nourishment for the public, becoming an important symbol of British cultural soft power.
