This is surely in the spirit of those who founded the great collections

Tessa Jowell Culture Secretary

The move, is the final stage in the government's scheme to introduce universal free admission to museums in Britain.

In Wales, leading museums and galleries scrapped admission charges in April, and the Scottish Executive also cut some entrance fees earlier this year.

Ms Jowell described the change as "a red letter day for our cultural heritage".

She said: "Not only will this represent a considerable financial saving for the average family, it will also open up our museums to a potentially far greater number of visitors."

Ms Jowell, who was launching free entry at the Science Museum, added: "This is surely in the spirit of those who founded the great collections."

Disabled access

London's Natural History Museum

As a further incentive museums and galleries sponsored by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport will be given an extra �10m investment to help fund capital projects such as disabled access, Ms Jowell announced.

Many of the museums had already offered free access to children and the over 60s. This has boosted visited numbers by nearly 20% for children and the by 40% for the over 60s.

Sir Neil Chalmers, director of the Natural History Museum said: "I welcome the government's emphasis on widening access for visitors to museums, and am keen to continue attracting as diverse a mix of visitors as possible."