Death in the British Museum

Explore the British Museum and how different cultures dealt with the concept of death and memorialisation!

Many of the objects in London's best known museum were once owned, cherished and loved by people who are now dead. From the huge tombs of Ancient Egypt to jade objects in Chinese graves that no-one really knows what they were for: death and its artefacts are an important subject and material when looking at and analysing the past.

Why did a Victorian shipping magnate look to Xanthos to get inspiration for his tomb? Why was Napoleon's face immortalised in plaster just after death? Just why as the guy who found the Geberlein man so interested in spiritualism...?

Join public historian Sheldon K. Goodman as he takes you around The British Museum to show you deathly objects of power and wonder from our past, as well as looking at the controversial history some objects have attached to them in context of restititution, empire and decolonisation.

Important Meeting Info

The British Museum still has ticketing in place to allow access to the museum. To ensure a prompt start (and to get past the queue so we can start at 13:30 bang-on) , please arrive outside Starbucks opposite the main entrance to the museum at the earliest of 1pm before we can all go and join the queue.

Testimonials

'I had a great experience on this tour with Sheldon! What a unique experience and a great guide! Highly recommend!' - Becky

'This was my fourth tour with Sheldon and the Cemetery Club and I am always impressed by how knowledgeable he is as a guide and how much he cares about what he does. Well worth it for learning about people who aren't just rich white Victorian men!' - Hayley

'Highly recommend these tours, which are well-researched, quirky and just a bit challenging. We've done 3 Cemetery Club tours now and all have been worthwhile.' - Vicky