Just when you think you’ve seen everything there is to see in London, you stumble upon another enchanting discovery. On a recent trip, I had this experience when visiting the Sir John Soane Museum for the first time. I love sharing all my London finds and have put together several guides based on my visits there over the years (all on my website!), but this special museum is deserving of its own post.
Well loved and documented by the design world (featured in Veranda Editor Steele Marcoux’s article that also served as the inspiration for my visit, How to Spend a Perfect Weekend in London, and in Alexa Hampton’s recent book, Alexa Hampton: Design, Style & Influence, in which she devotes an entire chapter to her devotion to this museum), the Sir John Soane Museum is an inspiration for anyone who loves to (or aspires to) collect beautiful things.
The museum is the collection of three connected townhomes belonging to the British architect and collector, Sir John Soane, exactly as it was left at his death in 1837. It is impossible to describe so you definitely need to check it out for yourself, but the only way I can characterize his collection is as a very organized, stylish and well educated hoarder.
Kidding, of course but today we would call the authorities if one of our neighbors collected that many objects – lol.
What to Watch For: I am no student of design but would direct you to note the important details like well placed skylights to maximize natural light (lacking in London), “floating” staircases, false bookcases, and convex mirrors, also used to enhance natural light.
Shop my collection of Sir John Soane-inspired mirrors here and scroll down to the end for a surprising source of options.
How and When to Visit: One great feature of the Sir John Soane museum is that the entry is free and there’s no need to book ahead. That being said, if you would like an in depth tour (which I do recommend), you can pre-book a “Highlights Tour” which take place every day at noon from Wednesday-Sunday , with an additional tour at 11 AM on Saturday and Sundays. The cost for the tour is $33. Book a highlights tour here.
Travel Trip
Save time for the gift shop at the end. They have lots of fun things to buy, including their very own convex mirrors. I purchased one (~$60) and was easily able to fit it inside of a shopping bag and carry it on my flight home.
Your tour will end right around noon or 1230, so make a reservation at 1 PM at Chiltern Firehouse for a perfect post-museum lunch. It’s about a 20 min taxi ride away.
“The classic tour of the Museum, our Highlights Tour will transport you back to Regency London, taking you through Sir John Soane’s extraordinary home, left as it was at the time of his death in 1837.
Tour Details from the Museum website
Explore some of the most spectacular rooms in the Museum, including the private apartments where Soane lived and slept, and get a fascinating insight into our most famous and beautiful treasures including paintings by Canaletto and J.M.W. Turner, and a 3,000 year-old sarcophagus of an Egyptian King.
Tours last around 75 minutes and are led by our expert guides. There are 8 places per tour. Tours take place daily at midday, with an additional tour at 11am on Saturdays and Sundays.”
“Discover the extraordinary house and museum of Sir John Soane, one of the greatest English architects, who built and lived in it two centuries ago. The museum has been kept as it was at the time of his death in 1837, and displays his vast collection of antiquities, furniture, sculptures, architectural models and paintings.“
-Sir John Soane Museum
Sir John Soane’s Museum is a national museum, displaying the extraordinary collections amassed by renowned British architect Sir John Soane, including antiquities, furniture, sculptures, architectural models and drawings, and paintings including work by Hogarth, Turner and Canaletto…One of the most successful British architects of his era, Soane was also a passionate educator, elected as a Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy in 1806. This provided Soane the initial motivation to collect: he states that upon his appointment “I began to arrange the books, casts, and models, in order that the students might have the benefit of easy access to them.” By the end of his life, Soane had amassed many thousands of objects.
Travel Tip:
Download the Bloomberg Connects app – a free app that you can download offering “access to exhibitions, collections and renowned artists at over 750 museums and other cultural organizations.” Connect to your wireless headphones and you can have your own tour guide in minutes. I have used the app countless times now in different cities.
