London's Free Museums: Sir John Soane's House, Holborn

A local’s visit to the Sir John Soane’s house museum in Holborn, Central London – one of the best hidden gems to see sculptures in a beautiful stately home!

While it’s true London’s an expensive city, there are plenty of free things to do here, and visiting one of the many free museums can definitely enrich a grey, rainy day.

I’m not only a lover of artsy places like museums; I’m also a lover of historical sites and, above all, love beautiful ruins and sculptures.

The Sir John Soane’s museum house in Holborn, only minutes from Long Acre and Covent Garden, is a place I cannot recommend enough.

It’s tucked behind the main streets of Holborn, in the historical Lincoln’s Inn Fields – and offers a complete collection of antique furniture, paintings, and sculptures galore.

London’s Free Museums: Sir John Soane’s House, Holborn

When Sir John Soane, a neoclassical architect famous for designing parts of the Bank of England (and the secret Tivoli Corner in the City of London), died in 1937, he left his house, collection, and models to the nation.

By a private Act of Parliament, it was to stay exactly as he arranged it; that’s around 45,000 paintings, drawings, antiquities, sculptures and architectural models you can admire at Sir John Soane’s Museum.

This is a completely free museum you can visit from Wednesdays to Sundays – if you’re visiting London on a budget, or if it’s raining and you don’t know what to do, that’s a spot to have on your bucket list.

You can also attend free tours at Sir John Soane’s Museum; the private apartments, and the drawing office tour – spots are very limited, and operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

Every single piece of the Soane collection was arranged in an intentional way, and the various rooms, from the model room to the picture room, all offer a glimpse into the architect’s mind.

London’s Sir John Soane’s Museum: Lincoln’s Inn Fields

London’s Sir John Soane’s Museum: Outside the Museum

London’s Sir John Soane’s Museum: Inside the Museum

London’s Free Museums: Sir John Soane’s House, Holborn

One of my favorite small museums of London, the Sir John Soane’s Museum is one I can’t stop raving about.

After all, I’m passionate about all things sculpture – from the Soane’s Museum neoclassical busts to the female sculptures at Milford Lane and the contemporary statues at the Leicester Square Scenes in the Square art trail.

Should you want to discover other sculptures and hidden gems in London, here are a few other spots I love to recommend:

London Sir John Soane’s Museum
Address: 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BP
Website: Soane