On his death in 1837, English architect and avid collector Sir John Soane bequeathed his stately London mansion and personal museum and library to the nation, with the stipulation that it would be preserved intact. He also required that the collection be accessible to the public for free. The amazing museum is still open and has recently completed a seven year restoration project. The extraordinary house and collection are often overlooked by visitors to London, but it’s well worth a visit to the Georgian townhouse at Lincoln’s Inn Fields just a short walk from the Holborn Tube Station.

If you can’t get to London to see the remarkable collections of Egyptian, Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance artifacts and artworks, the museum has begun sharing 3D scanned tours of the institution. They’ve just posted digitized virtual tours of Soane’s Model Room and the Egyptian Collection.

The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10AM to 5PM, and the first Tuesday each month from  6 to  9PM for candlelight tours.