Sir John Soane's Museum

Our last London visit of note was Sir John Soane's Museum, a house museum 20 minutes' walk from our studio. Soane was a noted Georgian/Regency architect, professor of architecture at the Royal Academy, and collector of thousands of sculptures, casts, prints, drawings, paintings and more, all preserved as he left them at his death in 1837. This is so is because he willed it all to the Nation, in order to disown his profligate son. By an act of Parliament no less. Wikipedia has an excellent and detailed account of it all, including the collection, and I'll post just a few pix from the house. The place is jam-packed with collection items, close-quartered, without a lift, also without much in the way of signage, and admits no more than 90 visitors at a time. There are knowledgeable docents in all the rooms, however. No reservations, and almost always a queue. Next time, rather than the general admission, we'll be reserving (early!) and signing up for the special guided tour.

Thanks, Wikipedia

So I asked, early in the visit, whether Marie Kondo had ever toured
the place; "she would be barred at the door" was the docent's answer,
noting that everything in the place evidently sparked Soane's joy

Canaletto

Original from Hogarth's Rake's Progress

The entire series!

Soane and Turner were friends; one of three Turners

Inscriptions filling the inside of a large Egyptian sarcophagus

Pretty incredible, overwhelming place