Sir John Soane's Museum

An amazing house chock full of his personal collection. We went to see the sarcophagus of SETI First and were not disappointed. An exquisite piece of work, so beautiful. The museum itself is small and cramped but well worth the possible wait to get in as understandably, numbers of visitors is limited to avoid overcrowding. I would definitely go back next time we're in London. Well worth a visit and the shop is reasonably priced too.

If I could, I would give it zero stars! Where do I begin, lovely lady (the manager) on arrival to check in and run through the museum and it’s wonderful skylights. When I arrived in the first room, I enquired about the audio guide the young lady working there didn’t seem to know how it worked. I approached two others who asked if I had ear phones, when I said no but could listen to it at my ear, at a low volume they said it wasn’t really allowed which I respected but mentioned this didn’t appear anywhere at the time of booking. They blamed Covid rather than just acknowledging it. I said it didn’t matter however, mentioned I wasn’t getting a particularly friendly vibe. Nevertheless I put it behind me and proceeded on the tour. The two male members of staff in particular the chap working in the picture room were knowledgeable and friendly. The Bloomberg app has an array of information which is useful as you try to navigate your way around. I approached the kitchen and can only describe as an attack by the female member of staff. As I was walking through the door way she said “we ask people not to text”. I explained I wasn’t texting, I was reading the content on the app, she then asked me to move and not stand in the doorway to allow people to pass through. There was no one behind me. Naturally I took offence as a visitor to the museum to be spoken to in this manner and explained I was looking at venues for private viewings however felt this was extremely unfriendly. Rather than just acknowledging the misunderstanding she shouted at me and it left me no alternative but to leave without seeing the rest of the house or indeed purchasing some items from the gift shop. The manager thankfully intervened as she was shouting at me but more at the staff members defence to say she had apologised. I felt the museum was very unwelcoming and would not recommend. There are so many more beautiful friendly museums to visit in this wonderful city where they would have no problem donating to just sadly this isn’t one of them!

If you are in London for the first time, you will probably want to visit the "must-see" sites : Tower of London, Madame Tussaud's, British Museum, etc.

But if you want to discover the unusual gems the city has to offer . please come back and plan a visit to the "other sites" !

The Soane Museum is an incredible experience. There is no place like it in the world (as I am aware it sounds a bit overly enthusiastic.

We had a guided tour of the place with the incredible Philip Dickson. No one left untouched after his brilliant tour.

So : go there and enjoy one of the best hidden museums in London. You HAVE to pre-booked and, if you are given the chance, opt for a guided tour of the place.

We visited here for a few hours, and were very happy with the experience. It is sort of the opposite of the British Museum (which we also love). Soane's museum is a lot of interesting and quirky artifacts, jam-packed into a fairly small house.

There are no signs marking the artifacts (apparently at Soane's directive), so you definitely want to get the paper guide / pamphlet, and/or use the QR code to get information. The staff onsite are also a wealth of knowledge, and are in most rooms.

Although the museum accepts walk-ins, the word is getting out about this place and it is more prudent to make a reservation in advance on their website. Plan to spend a couple of hours to really do justice to the place.

A highly recommended museum choice that falls to the side of quirky if you are looking for something other than the traditional museum offerings. I was very glad to make a stop at the museum. We didn't have to register online for a slot as they had stopped that system recently. And we managed to catch one of their free tours to the private apartments (only offered 2 times that day). I highly recommend the tour as it gives you all the background of Soane which makes the museum (his house) come alive. However, even without the tour, the museum was fascinating enough!

Today I arrived at the door at 4:31pm, having run the last few blocks from the British Museum. Last admittance is 4:30 although the museum was open until 5:00pm. It’s small and I could have easily viewed it in 20-25 minutes. But a very serious, unsmiling young lady refused to let me in despite the fact that I am a senior and was visibly exhausted after sprinting to the museum. I was allowed to wander into the small gift shop, observed other staff and patrons and realized this was a pretentious environment and not patron friendly. Lighten up staff and heed the warning future patrons, to not expect anything other than being ushered in the door.

This is an interesting museum but with a few annoyances. Admission is free but you are literally bullied into buying a guide for £3 as soon as you walk in. The reason given, and the main annoyance, is that nothing in the museum is labelled so you have no idea what you are looking at. On two occasions having found an item of interest I asked one of the staff, but they didn’t know either and the guide book was no help. I did suggest to one of the staff that they could use small QR codes linked to a simple website, but they seemed horrified at the thought of using technology to improve the visitor experience. All in all quite a frustrating visit, you’ll be in and out in an hour.

This is one of London’s more quirky, eccentric and somewhat bizarre museums. Sir John Soane was a renowned English architect in the early 19th century, and he built his house / museum opposite Lincoln’s Inn Fields around 1809. He was quite eccentric, and collected a vast amount of drawings, paintings, and antiques, as well as sculptures, architectural models made of plaster and marble, and curiously a huge alabaster sarcophagus of Seti I, covered in Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The display of all these objects is equally as fabulous, in rooms with ornate or domed ceilings. There are various rooms such as the drawing room, library and so one which remain as when John Soon lived in the house. These are quite opulent and grand. However, the house is full of irregular nooks, crannies and alcoves, all stuffed to the rafters with curiosities, and it’s in these rooms that the real charm of the museum can be found. The whole thing is rather eclectic, mirroring the collector, and the absolute clutter overload added to the charm. It was fabulous to explore; I certainly had a great time poking around.

However, there’s a few things you need to note:
1. Entry is free, and you don’t need to book a time slot in advance. However, numbers allowed in the museum at any given time are limited. This is understandable as some of the galleries have extremely limited space and narrow passageways. I visited mid-morning and had to wait about 20 minutes for entry.
2. Bags which are anything bigger than a small handbag are not permitted, and bags you carry have to be put in plastic bags. iIf you are carrying the likes of a backpack, they have to be removed and stored in a cloak room beside the entrance. This is also understandable, for the reason I have already mentioned in relation to the limited space in some galleries and passageways. However, the security guard on duty at the entrance on the day I visited was officious and unwelcoming, and did not like being questioned about a couple of things I enquired about in relation to the small back pack I was carrying.
3. Whilst photography is permitted, cameras MUST be worn around the neck, without any regard for people who may have issues with the neck.
4. Nothing in the museum is labelled, so unless you buy a guide book you may be left wondering what a lot of the collection items are. I didn’t buy a guidebook as I just like to browse and see what’s there.
5. The museum is over three floors or four floors, including the basement where the Egyptian sarcophagus of Seti I is located (though you can view it from open floor above). I am not sure of the accessibility for those using mobility assistance.

It took me a good 90 minutes or so to see it all. You’re supposed to stick to a one-way system but most people seemed to ignore that.

There’s a lot to see. Take your time. The museum is a short walk from Holborn underground station. There are bathroom facilities in the museum.

Have wanted to visit for ages and the Hogarth exhibition gave me the push. Definitely book your tickets in advance. A wonderful labyrinth of a place with new delights around every corner. Good signage for the exhibit and lots of helpful staff on hand with any other questions you might have. Added bonus - no phones allowed in so no one getting in peoples way trying to take selfies and people actually fully engaged with what they were they to see. No charge either to use store your bag/coat/belongings whilst you are in. Looking forward to me next visit.

The former home of architect and collector Sir John Soane, this is the most atmospheric museum in London.

This is another free attraction to visit.

The architect and collector’s home on Lincoln’s Inn Fields is packed to the rafters with hundreds of interesting and impressive artworks and artifacts.

The collection is pretty much whatever caught Sir John Soane's eye, positioned in the place it looked best—so don’t go looking for order. Instead, go curious, because walls give way to secret rooms and the unobservant might miss the Canaletto, or the 3,000 year old sarcophagus of Seti I.

Nothing is labeled here so it’s just more of a place to look and see then really take away any information.

The daily highlights tours cost a reasonable $18.

From Wednesday to Sunday there is also a free daily tour of the apartment where Soane lived and slept.