Ben Melham — a cultural sector consultant based in the UK — has smashed the world record for most museums visited in 24 hours.
Melham visited 42 museums across Central London on Friday 25 October 2024. He stopped off at venues including the British Museum, the V&A, the Bank of England Museum and the Royal Academy.
The previous world record was 33 museums which were visited across Delhi in India in January 2024 by brothers Swaroop Dawrani and Sujoy Kumar Mitra. This new attempt was sanctioned by Guinness World Records (GWR), who are expected to ratify the record in the coming weeks.
Speaking to maxwell museums, Melham — who is Director of Mortice Consulting, a heritage and culture solutions provider — said he embarked on the attempt “to raise awareness of the diversity of museums available.”
His stops ranged from the huge galleries of the British capital — such as the National Gallery — to small, hidden gems like the Bow Street Police Museum.
Planning was the biggest challenge, he revealed, especially the “challenging rules” GWR had set him. These included the museums needing to be open to the public at the time of the visit, which meant in reality every venue needed to be visited in an 11 hour window instead of 24. He was also told he could only travel around the city on public transport or by walking, and that there would need to be in-person witnesses throughout the attempt.
"I had to develop a detailed route that would provide the greatest opportunity to visit as many museums of all sizes as possible, and this plan went through many variations,” Melham told me.
At the end, Melham said he was “exhausted but elated”, and he paid tribute to the “kind, supportive and encouraging” staff at all the 42 museums.
“It makes me proud of the museum sector and the vital role it plays within the communities they serve.”
A detailed documentation pack of photographic, video, GPS, records, statements and other data has now been submitted to GWR with the expectation that the official World Record Status will be granted in the near future.
He's now embarking on a second record attempt sanctioned by GWR: the most museums visited in a single year. He has until October 2025 to break that one.
— The maxwell museums newsletter keeps you up-to-date on global museum news. Subscribe for free here