Since 1753, the British Museum has been central to London's cultural landscape. Immediately recognisable from the outside, its interiors, galleries and walkways are as well known as they are beautiful. But dig beneath the surface and images of Greek culture and Egyptian funerary practices are replaced by listed rooms, libraries, basements and underground corridors that tell a very different story - and provide an entirely different location. The underground passages allow you to forget for a minute that you are indeed in the capital. The King's Library is a stunning 300 foot, 19th Century gallery with an inlaid mahogany floor; it competes quite happily with the Great Court in terms of its glory. The Great Court as a space is unique in London - old and new architecture coming together in an unprecedented manner - with the emphasis placed on light and space in a public arena. The variety offered by the museum to the world's film-makers is astonishing - and worthy of further discussion. Weston Great Hall: painted coffered ceiling and grand staircase. Great Court: Vast canopy glass ceiling designed by Norman Foster; courtyard facades all have pedimented entrances to the surrounding galleries, decoratively supported by Ionic fluted columns; a perfect backdrop for projected lighting. Egyptian Sculpture Gallery: large gallery with coffered ceiling, fluted columns and decorative pilasters; natural light enters from the upper storey windows running the length of the gallery; the room houses a great deal of the museum's largest sculptures as well as the Rosetta Stone; Enlightenment Gallery: regarded as one of the most important neo-classical interiors in the world, the gallery was designed by Robert Smirke and built between 1823 and 1827; the room has been recently restored and displays its original features in all its glory - oak and mahogany floor, classical marble features, gilded balcony, original shelving and display cases, yellow and gold plasterwork/colour scheme; natural light enters from both sides on the upper storey windows. Arched Room: built in 1841, this unusual but impressive room reaches the height of the museum's other lower galleries; a series of arches, with wings of artefacts and books between each, leads to a great west window; iron staircases and walkways line the upper shelves; a row of desks runs centrally down the room. Prints and Drawings Study Room: constructed in 1913-14 with wooden presses and shelves to hold prints and books; the room has a central glass roof and a wooden walkway running around it; one end hosts a dense configuration of book shelves; large desks, some raised. North Stairs: 20th century marble staircase encircles a sixth century Buddha; split level. Basements: old and new; newly constructed space-age basement under the Great Court contrasts with the building's original labyrinthine passageways. Lecture Theatres: completed alongside the Great Court development; two large lecture theatres; some smaller studio spaces.