We all know of course that the British Museum is THE place to go if you’re interested in seeing ancient Egyptian artefacts in London. But did you know that the world’s fourth largest ancient Egyptian collection is housed in a small building on the University College London (UCL) campus? I only heard of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology last week and was rather blown away by all the treasures it holds!
You might remember I discovered the amazing yet rather unknown Grant Museum of Zoology last year. And if not, you can (re-)read it here: 5 Alternative Free Things to Do in London! (Also Suitable for Families). This museum, which is home to one of the oldest natural history collections in the UK, is also part of the UCL Museums and Collections. But being quite the history nerd, I got far more excited when seeing thousands-year old Egyptian objects and writings at the Petrie Museum from up close. And the best part of it, is that it’s really quiet there of course so if you’d rather avoid the tourist masses at the British Museum, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology makes for a great alternative!
Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology holds 80,000 objects!
When I asked the staff how big their collection was, they answered they have 8,000 objects on display. This already sounded like a lot to me, but when they added the entire collection actually consists of 80,000 objects I was deeply impressed.
‘Where do you store them all then?’ I asked them. Upon which one of them opened up a few drawers in the cabinets in the corridor, unveiling dozens of small sculptures and  other artefacts hiding just in plain sight. ‘They are stored all around you and you can find them by opening up all the drawers’, he said. I unfortunately didn’t have much time to explore the museum in great detail, but I’ll definitely go back. Several times probably!
The collection consists of a wide variety of objects and artefacts as you can see in the photos here. From pyramid texts, to papyrus rolls, to sarcophaguses, death masks and so much more!
The history of the Petrie Museum
The Petrie Museum was set up as a teaching resource for the UCL in 1892. The collection was donated by writer Amelia Edwards (1831-1892). But it was professor William Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) who turned the museum in such a world-renowned institute. Petrie had an extraordinary excavation career and developed new methods which are actually still being used in the field.
The mummy portrait on the left is one of the museum highlights. It was found at a Roman cemetery near the pyramid of Harawa. The Petrie Museum holds the largest collection of such Roman funerary panels outside of Egypt (source: museum handout).
Want to visit the Petrie Museum?
It’s right on the UCL campus (see photo below). The address is: Malet Place, London, WC1E 6BT. It’s open between 13.00–17.00 from Tuesday to Saturday. (Note that it’s closed between 17 and 22 April 2019). For more information, visit their website here.
After posting photos on Instagram stories, a friend of mine wondered why these objects aren’t back in Egypt. I actually thought she had a good point. At the time Petrie ‘saved’ them from being looted from the tombs. By being part of the university and making them available for the public, I think they serve a good function nowadays. But what are your thoughts on this? Let me know in a comment below!
Thanks, Zarina xx
7 responses to “Secret London Tip: Discover the Petrie Museum, Home to the World’s 4th Largest Ancient Egyptian Collection!”
I came along your blog looking for perfume bottles of Ancient Egypt… I don\’t know if they have some… I love this museum because it preserves the 19th century (when it was founded) “vibe”, and I absolutely adore it. When I go (I live in London and have been several times) I just feel as a 19th century explorer, it’s so beautiful! About give the artefacts back, no, definitely no. If this artefacts were in Egypt, they probably would be now in private collections and the world couldn’t appreciate them… I think is a good think to make some cultural artefacts approachable to everybody. This even is good for Egypt (or other countries that claim for the devolution of archaeological artefacts) as a tourist claim, it increases the interest of people towards the country and its history.
I know that Egyptian artifacts have been spread throughout the entire world over the last 200 years, if.. this didn’t occur, we in the western world, would not be as informed nor shared the love of that magnificent empire.
I have adored Egypt since a small child and now 64, I’ve read books, collected quality museum reproductions, watched documentaries and visited for a month, loved the friendly people, wandered through the temples, Tombs, drove though the Sahara, embraced their culture and laughed with them around a bonfire at night in the Great Sand Sea.
I feel that the exposure of Ancient Egypt in the west has done way more than a country that would of held everything for them selves, it was out of their control back in the late 1700’s however, it has now planted the seed.
Thank you very much,
Steve.
Hi Steve, thank you for sharing your experience, that sounds like a magical time indeed! And interesting perspective you bring into the discussing regarding exposure to this ancient culture that might have not been as known worldwide as it is now, partly due to the European archeological digs. I adored listening to my mum’s stories of ancient cultures as a young girl and have had the chance to visit Rome, Pompeii, Athens, Knossos, even Jordan and such places but for some reason never made it to Egypt yet, definitely still on my wish list! I had almost become an archeologist myself, but life took me on a different path, yet the love for and interest in ancient civilisations still remains!
Take care and thanks again for your thoughtful response, much appreciate it! 🙂
[…] is full of little cultural gems hiding in all corners of this magnificent city. Take the incredible Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology for example. Located in an inconspicuous alleyway as part of UCL campus, the Petrie Museum is a […]
Wow, what a great museum! I have been to the British Museum (I think 1990) and have seen the mask of Toetanchamon etc. I would like to see this Petrie museum, also because you mentioned it is not as crowded as the British Museum.
The question of returning the artefacts is a complicated one. Saving artefacts from looting or destruction is a good thing. But some artefacts dó belong back in the home country. On the other hand, many things might have been destroyed otherwise and therefore there is something to say for musea like this. Thanks for this post!
Glad you liked it, thanks for lovely feedback 🙂 I appreciate your thoughts on the discussion if artefacts should now be returned to their home country or not. It’s an interesting discussion and I’m glad that more and more museums are responding to it.
[…] Secret London Tip: Discover the Petrie Museum, Home to the World’s 4th Largest Ancient Egyptia…: the British Museum is of course THE place to see ancient Egyptian artefacts in London, but don’t miss out on this secret museum, which just happens to house the world’s fourth largest ancient Egyptian collection! […]