It’s our Birthday!

We’re 338 years old today! On 24 May 1683, the doors of the Ashmolean Museum were officially opened to the public.

The Ashmolean came into existence when the wealthy antiquary Elias Ashmole gifted his collection to the University in 1682. He did so ‘because the knowledge of Nature is very necessary to human life and health.’ It opened as Britain’s first public museum, and the world’s first university museum.

Below is a print of the museum by Emery Walker from 1909. However, this wasn’t actually the original location of the museum. The first site of the Ashmolean was on Broad Street, where the Museum of the History of Science is now.

Celebrate with us today - what are some of your favourite Ashmolean memories? Let us know in the comments below.