The British Museum, in London, has finally beaten Blackpool to the title of Britain's most popular cultural attraction. Bríd Higgins Ní Chinneideis impressed by its take on history
A COOL HELPING of culture is a rewarding way of escaping the relentless hum and glare of a hot summer's day in London.
The British Museum's darkened rooms and smooth marble surfaces provide a passage to other worlds, where you can shake the city's dust from your sandals and view treasures that tell the story of human history.
But do not expect to find yourself alone. Thousands of Londoners have joined visitors from overseas in the halls and galleries of the museum, which finally beat Blackpool to the title of Britain's most popular cultural attraction earlier this summer. The 255-year-old institution has been drawing in bigger crowds with its accessible collections, cultural events and blockbuster exhibitions, such as The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army.
Its latest big draw is Hadrian: Empire and Conflict. Until now Hadrian has been famous in Britain mainly for the wall he built across what is now northern England to separate the Romans from the Barbarians. But now, thanks to this magnificent exhibition, Hadrian's sex life and political career are topics of conversation across the city.
Hadrian: Empire and Conflictis the biggest exhibition of the summer, and it is worth the trip to London to see the extraordinary collection of sculpture and other artefacts that has been brought together for the first time.
When I visited, the museum's Great Hall was alive with visitors, who queued for entry around the outside of the museum's famous round Reading Room, where the exhibition is being held. Far from being oppressive, the crowds created a buzz rarely felt in this type of institution.
The Reading Room, with its enormous dome vaulting overhead, is an excellent setting, illustrating the legacy of Hadrian's pantheon in European architecture. A colossal marble head of the emperor himself greets you upon entry. It was discovered in Turkey only last year, and it was finally identified as Hadrian because of the deep creases in the ear lobes, one of the emperor's physical idiosyncrasies, which doctors now say could have been a sign of a heart condition.
The carved face of the man who ruled over Romans from AD 117 to AD 138 is noble and grave, a fitting representation of a ruler whom Machiavelli described as the third of the five good emperors. His aquiline nose is missing, but he sports a neat, curling beard that identifies him as a lover of Hellenic aesthetics and as a trendsetter who stands apart from his clean-shaven predecessors, whose likenesses stand nearby.
The exhibition is roughly chronological, starting with details of Hadrian's birth into a family of olive-oil merchants in what is now Spain and finishing with his death, at the age of 62.
The emphasis is on the story of Hadrian's life, and you become more and more familiar with the man as you meet representations of his steadily ageing face during the tour.
Hadrian's foreign and domestic policy is thought-provoking. He curbed Roman expansion, withdrawing troops from what is now Iraq, and consolidated his empire by cruelly suppressing Jewish rebellion in the Middle East, and by introducing tax cuts and a period of glorious construction at home. He also spent half of his reign touring the expanses of the empire and establishing his popularity outside the capital.
A marble sculpture of Hadrian's lover, the dreamily beautiful youth Antinous, is one of the most beautiful exhibits. It's hardly surprising that the emperor was hopelessly in love with the young Greek.
Antinous died in Egypt while accompanying Hadrian on a tour of the empire. The emperor was so devastated that he declared his young lover a god and built a city in his name, Antinopolis.
There has been criticism of the populist nature of the British Museum's blockbuster empire shows - exhibitions on the Iranian monarch Shah Abbas the Great and the Aztec emperor Moctezuma are planned for next year - but this one raises the bar for bringing history alive without patronising the visitor.
A huge number of extra activities run alongside the exhibition that will bring you even closer to the world of Hadrian. Check the museum's website for stone-carving workshops, olive-oil tasting evenings, film screenings and family activities. You might find it's the best deal around for getting from London to Rome.
Hadrian: Empire and Conflict is at the British Museum (www.british museum.org) until October 26th
Where to eat and where else to go
Where to eat
London Review Cake Shop. 14 Bury Place,00-44-20-7269 9030, www.lrbshop.co.uk. This peaceful cafe, just two minutes from the British Museum, somehow eludes crowds of tourists. Attached to the fantastic London Review Bookshop, it serves exquisite sandwiches and cakes.
Abeno. 47 Museum Street, 00-44-20-74053211, www. abeno.co.uk. This Japanese restaurant across the road from the museum specialises in okonomiyaki, a kind of Japanese pancake with toppings. The dishes are reasonably priced and the service is excellent.
Ciao Bella. 86-90 Lamb's Conduit Street, Bloomsbury, 00-44-20-72424119, www.ciaobellarestaurant.co.uk. This bustling Italian restaurant with al-fresco dining is about 10 minutes from the museum. The food is not fancy, but it tastes good and is reasonably priced. The Italian waiters are bossy but charming, and the atmosphere is fantastic. Booking is recommended.
The Duke of York. 7 Roger Street, 00-44-20-72427230, www.dukepub.co.uk. This wonderful gastropub, in a quiet lane beside the Charles Dickens Museum, has an atmospheric 1920s interior. Diners sit in intimate booths at the back of the pub while drinkers mingle in the lounge. Open for food every day until 10.30pm.
The Pancake Café, 28 Museum Street, Bloomsbury, 00-44-20-76362383. This creperie is a great place for a sustaining breakfast or a quick lunch. Very reasonable prices.
Where else to go
The Charles Dickens Museum. 48 Doughty Street, 00-44-20-74052127, www.dickensmuseum.com. The perfectly-restored Victorian house where Dickens lived features first editions as well as furniture that belonged to London's most famous writer. The view from the top floor of the house shows the areas that Dickens wrote about, though they are not as squalid now as in Victorian times. The Old Curiosity Shop is 20 minutes away, on Portsmouth Street.
The Foundling Museum.
40 Brunswick Square, 00-44-20-78413600, www.foundlingmuseum. org.uk. This extraordinary museum is off the tourist trail, but it tells a wonderful story of the philanthropist Thomas Coram and London's first home for abandoned children. As well as the social history of London, this museum shows how 18th-century luminaries such as Handel and Hogarth patronised the school, the former setting up London's first public art gallery on the premises to attract wealthy patrons. Works by Hogarth and Gainsborough are still held in the collection.
Coram's Fields. 93 Guilford Street, 00-44-20- 78376138, www.coramsfields.org. This is the best children's park ever. It has huge green spaces, swings and slides, ducks and goats, and picnic areas and a cafe. Check the website for events and activities.
The Cartoon Museum. 35 Little Russell Street, 00-44-20-7580 8155. This is a relatively new museum, dedicated to having a laugh. It shows an extensive array of cartoons and comic strips and also houses a comic library. Childrens' workshops are a regular feature, and the main exhibition at the moment celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Beano and Dandy.
The British Library. 96 Euston Road, 00-44-20- 74127332, www.bl.uk. The British Library shouldn't be missed. It has a collection of more than 13 million books. You can view exquisite examples of literature and the art of print. The treasures of the museum include the Magna Carta, Shakespeare's First Folio and Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Go there: Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus. com) flies from Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast to London Heathrow and from Dublin to London Gatwick. Ryanair (www. ryanair.com) flies from Dublin, Cork and Shannon to Gatwick; from Dublin, Kerry, Knock, Shannon and Derry to London Luton; and from Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Kerry, Knock and Belfast to London Stansted. Aer Arann (www.aerarann.com) flies from Galway and Waterford to London Luton.