First opened to the public in 1759, the current building was designed by Sir Robert Smirke in 1823 and completed in 1852. The building’s colonnade is held up by 43 columns inspired by ancient Ionian ruins in Athens and Priene, and is probably Britain’s most famous example of the Greek Revival style. Today, the Grade I listed museum attracts six million visitors a year and is home to artefacts like the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon sculptures.