The British Museum Reading Room was designed by Sydney Smirke and built from 1854 to 1857 at the center of the museum's Great Court, for the museum library, later the British Library. It opened on May 2, 1857, and a public viewing from May 8 to 16 drew more than 62,000 visitors. The article names no client or style.
The dome is inspired by the Pantheon in Rome and is about 140 feet (42.6 m) across. It is built on cast iron, with a suspended ceiling of papier-mâché and an oculus. The book stacks were iron for weight-bearing and fire protection and held about 25 miles (40 km) of shelving.
The British Library stayed until 1997, and the room reopened to all visitors in 2000. It was converted into the museum's archive in 2013. Tours began in 2023: they are free, last about 20 minutes and must be booked in advance.
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