The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum is a museum in Bristol, United Kingdom which explores the history of the British empire and the impact that British colonial rule had on the rest of the world. The museum opened in 2002 in Bristol's historic old railway station, designed by Isembard Kingdom Brunel. Bristol is an English city and county and one of the two administrative centres of South West England (the other being Plymouth). ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps The British Empire was the worlds first global power, a product of the European Age of Exploration that began with the global maritime empires of Portugal and Spain in the late 1400s. ... 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The museum is arranged across sixteen galleries in three primary themes:

• Britain builds an empire
• The rise of Victoria's empire
• End of empire

The museum has a flourishing publications department, producing books on aspects of colonial life such as the history of the Northern Rhodesia Police, and a register of titles of the regiments of the Honourable East India Company and East Indian Armies. The museum also holds the collection of artefacts of the Commonwealth Institute; extensive still photograph, paper, film and oral history archives, and a costume collection. Victoria Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819–22 January 1901) was a Queen of the United Kingdom, reigning from 20 June 1837 until her death. ... Flag of Northern Rhodesia Northern Rhodesia was a British protectorate in south central Africa, originally created in 1911 from the combination of the North West Rhodesia and North East Rhodesia areas of Rhodesia controlled by the British South Africa Company. ... East India Company was the name of several historic European companies chartered with the monopoly of trading with Asia for their respective countries. ... The Indies, on the display globe of the Field Museum, Chicago The Indies or East Indies (or East India) is a term used to describe lands of South and South-East Asia, occupying all of the former British India, the present Indian Union, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and... The Commonwealth Institute is an educational charity loosely connected with the Commonwealth of Nations. ... Oral history is an account of something passed down by word of mouth from one generation to another. ...

Admissions information

Unlike many national museums in Britain, the BECM is not publicly-funded, but is owned and operated by a charitable trust; consequently an admission charge is made. The museum is open every day of the year except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Normal opening hours are 10am – 5pm. Last admission is at 4.30pm.

External links

• British Empire & Commonwealth Museum web site