Museums And Archives

Building the Future

The Egypt Exploration Society (EES) is an affiliate of the British Academy and has been the home of British Egyptology since 1882. We believe everyone has the right to be part of this exciting story: our online courses draw audiences from across the UK and 60 other countries, and our training programmes offer career development to students in Britain and heritage professionals in Egypt. We are the custodians of globally significant collections such as the Oxyrhynchus Papyri. Currently stored offsite by third parties, these manuscripts contain hieroglyphic texts, previously lost Greek literature, and the earliest known fragments of New Testament gospels. Our unique onsite archives contain documents and artworks recording archaeology in Egypt since the 1880s, as well as the complex and crucial social history of British-Egyptian relations. This precious heritage is at risk. The papyri are stored in poor conditions which threaten their survival, and where they were the target of theft. Our onsite archives are endangered by structural damage. Our building also hinders us from providing an accessible heritage offer to those with mobility needs and engaging underrepresented audiences. To address these needs and realise the full potential of our mission, our ‘Building the Future’ project will: • Save our irreplaceable collections, display them meaningfully to the public for the first time, and make them Accreditable. • Create an activity programme using these collections to increase inclusion and participation from new audiences while also promoting wellbeing through heritage. • Deliver that programme from our premises in the heartland of British Egyptology, which will be transformed into an accessible and fully equipped heritage centre whose energy efficient design will protect the environment and increase organisational stability. This will be a place where diverse audiences can engage (both in-person and remotely) with the shared heritage of the UK and Egypt.