ABSTRACT
This entry attempts to capture the rich diversity of museums in the United Kingdom. Following a discussion of the evolution of British museums in their historical context from the private collecting through the profound impact of global exploration the authors examine major changes in the museum sector in the latter part of the twentieth century. Because discussion on types of museum organized according to discipline is rendered problematic by the frequent occurrence of multidisciplinarity in U.K. collections, this entry uses a framework of organization and funding to identify seven types of institutions: 1) national; 2) university; 3) armed services; 4) local authority; 5) independent; 6) English Heritage; 7) the National Trust; and 8) the living collections of zoos and botanical gardens.
