Museum’s plan to cut queues would hurt its Greek character, conservation groups warn

The British Museum’s plan to build a new security block and convert its front courtyards into a new garden have sparked fears it will spoil the building’s iconic Greek style.

The landmark Bloomsbury museum wants to replace its controversial security-check marquees with two new temporary blocks on its northern and southern elevations while also converting its front lawn along Great Russell Street into a “Mediterranean” botanical exhibit.

The British Museum Trust argues in a planning application to Camden Council that the pavilions will make the museum more welcoming by “drastically” cutting waiting times, tightening searches while adding a new “living collection” that links to the two million years of human history contained within its walls.

The Grade I listed museum is currently home to artefacts like the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon sculptures (aka Elgin marbles) and is soon set to house the Bayeux Tapestry for a temporary exhibition. But plans submitted late last year have stoked fears over the building’s own history.

Conservation society The Georgian Group, which is based in Fitzroy Square, has urged Camden’s planning authority to reject the plans as they betray the architect’s original vision for the museum. They argue that installing pavilions on one side of the “monumental” building will ruin its symmetry and undermine its “powerful and carefully composed” architectural elements.

First opened to the public in 1759, the current building was designed by Sir Robert Smirke in 1823 and completed in 1852. The building’s colonnade is held up by 43 columns inspired by ancient Ionian ruins in Athens and Priene, and is probably Britain’s most famous example of the Greek Revival style.

The conservation group said: “While we recognise the operational challenges faced by the museum, we consider that the proposals would cause an unacceptable level of harm to this internationally important site.”

The Victorian Society also objected, arguing that the “flashy” pavilion designs “resembled a shop and wine bar”, slamming the museum for ignoring earlier feedback on the plans.

Under the proposals, the two pavilions would each contain security lanes and enable “state-of-the-art” scanners to screen guests without asking them to empty their bags. Meanwhile, the museum’s historic gates are also set to be reopened, which the organisation hopes will stop visitor lines jamming at the entrance.

The British Museum admitted the changes would cause a “low degree of less than substantial harm” but said it was justified by protecting its interior and reducing clutter from security barriers.

It added that these were temporary installations that would last a decade while the trust works on its 10-year masterplan to redevelop the whole museum, tipped to cost £1bn. But the Georgian Group says it still has a legal duty to protect the historic building regardless of how long the structures are in place.

The museum drew criticism a decade ago when it first installed the “depressing” white tents in its courtyard. In 2024, it announced its plans to improve its public realm ahead of the sweeping refurbishment. The trust provoked further backlash in 2023 when it accepted £50mn in funding for the masterplan from oil and gas firm BP.

The British Museum receives more than 6mn visitors each year, and in 2024 was the UK’s most visited attraction.

The trust’s proposals are expected to come before the local authority’s planning committee in February.

Planning Application: 2025/5094/P, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG.