Sir John Soane's House Museum

John Soane had an amazing personal collection of antiquities, books and drawings, and intended to 'allow free access for students and the public to "consult, inspect and benefit" from the collections', so much so that he negotiated an Act of Parliament so that upon his death, the house and its collection would be preserved and still accessible to the public. The museum also includes his own various sketchbooks, drawings and models (including experiments in his own ceilings).  The result is a fascinating look into this man's mind - I came away with a sense of awe and fear, that he must have either been a genius or a madman, or both.

Seeing as I keep going on about this house museum to various people, but don't have any images of the interior/wasn't allowed to take any, I have been doing some internet scouring in attempt to find something to show!

the (jam-packed) Sepulchral Chamber

above the Sepulchral Chamber, from this article

I didn't get to see the picture room in action, but here is a painting of it.

a section across the rear of the house, where the antiquities collection is housed.
note also the skylight/roof experiments above and between rooms.

basement plan

ground floor plan

first and second floor, and attic plans
note all the skylight/roof experiments shown in the first floor plan
(the drawing room looks out over these roofs)

The Soane museum also has an impressive set of collections, including some lovely drawings of London, like this one:

Tivoli Corner, Bank of England
(L + HG visited this in January 2011)
There is an oculus in the ceiling and around it, it says
'THE BANK OF ENGLAND MADE THIS WAY THROUGH
TIVOLI CORNER FOR THE CITIZENS OF LONDON 1936'