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Book a Highlights Tour Back to top

Want to learn more about Sir John Soane and the artefacts he collected? Our Highlights Film takes you on a tour of the most special parts of the Museum and Sir John Soane's collection. 

Find out more >

Visit the Museum

Entry to the Museum is by free, Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. To visit the Model Room and Private Apartments, you will need to join one of our tours. Plan your visit here.

Friends of the Soane Back to top

Get to know the Soane better by becoming a friend for just £3.50 per month (£40 per year). Your donation helps support the conservation of our collection, our three listed buildings (formerly Sir John Soane’s home), and allows us to continue to offer free entry to the museum and the special exhibitions.

• Sign up for our monthly e-newsletters, featuring exclusive content such as upcoming exhibition news, pre-release previews, articles, interviews and updates.
• Receive 10% off our great selection of books, prints, postcards, jewellery and Soane artifacts at the Museum shop (in-store and online).

Become a Friend by completing the form below and emailing it to development@soane.org.uk. Alternatively, please email or phone +44 (0) 20 7440 4243 to find out more.

Soane Patrons' Circle Back to top

Unlock new ways of experiencing the Soane from exclusive behind the scenes evenings at the Museum, to talks, tours, trips and private views of popular exhibitions in London specifically designed for Patrons of the Soane.   

• Experience a programme of premium events, such as private views, lectures, celebrations, and concerts
• See behind-the-scenes with individual tours of the Museum and archive
• Discover new collections, institutions, and places with exclusive visits in London and beyond 
• Host a private event at the Soane for an evening, with a 10% discount on venue hire
• Deepen your knowledge with complimentary copies of select publications
• Receive all the benefits of a Friends’ membership, and a higher tier of priority booking

To become a member of the Soane Patrons’ Circle we ask for an annual suggested contribution of £2,000. This comprises of £500 of benefit, and a suggested donation of £1,500, which directly supports our core function of maintaining and celebrating our building and collection.

If you are interested in joining the Soane Patrons’ Circle we would be delighted to welcome you. Please complete the form below and email it to development@soane.org.uk or contact us by email or phone on +44 (0) 20 7440 4243  to find out more.

Online Shop Back to top

Refunds/Exchanges

In compliance with relevant Consumer Protection legislation under English Law, Museum Shop customers are entitled to cancel their order(s) within 7 days. The 7 days period is deemed to commence from the day after you have received your goods. We will refund your purchase in full to the original credit / debit card at the time of purchase.

1. Goods should be returned recorded delivery carriage/postage paid. 

2. All goods will be checked for damage before any refund is made. 

To request your cancellation, please email shop@soane.org.uk. This does not affect your statutory rights. Sir John Soane’s Museum will repay you the value of the goods (excluding delivery costs) within 30 days from receipt of the returned goods without any further charge to you except the direct cost of returning the goods. All refunds will be made in full to the original credit/debit card at the time of purchase.

Any claim by you in respect of any shortages and/or defects in the goods must be notified to us by you within 3 days of the delivery date, stating the nature of the shortage/defect and quoting the receipt number; failure to so notify us will deem you to have accepted the goods. In some cases SJSM may require you to return the defective goods to SJSM at its cost. Where you make a valid claim in respect of any shortages or defects and we are liable for the claim, we can at our option make up the shortages or replace the goods free of charge, or refund the price of the goods in question to you. In addition for defective goods we will refund you reasonable costs incurred for postage of the goods, but we shall have no further liability to you. If you do not notify SJSM accordingly, SJSM shall have no liability for any defects and you shall be bound to pay for the goods.

Terms & Conditions

Although every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the information on this website was accurate at the time of publication, we accept no responsibility for any errors, omissions or misleading statements on this site or on any site which you may be able to access through a link on this site.

If you create an account on the Website, you are responsible for maintaining the security of your account and you are fully responsible for all activities that occur under the account and any other actions taken in connection with the account. You must immediately notify Sir John Soane’s Museum of any unauthorized uses of your account or any other breaches of security. Sir John Soane's Museum will not be liable for any acts or omissions by You, including any damages of any kind incurred as a result of such acts or omissions.

We do not represent or warrant that this site or any site which you may be able to access through a link on this site will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are times when because of necessary maintenance or updating or at time of heavy internet traffic that you may find it hard to gain access. 

We exclude to the fullest extent permitted by law all representations or warranties (express or implied) with respect to the content of this site including but not limited to any warranty or representation that the server from which the site is available is free of viruses or bugs, that use of this site is secure or that you will be afforded any protection above and beyond that afforded by any standard security software you may have installed on your computer.

We exclude to the maximum extent permitted by law all liability to any third party anywhere in the world for any injury, damage, direct or indirect loss, consequential or economic loss or any other loss suffered as a result of the use of or reliance upon the information contained in this website including, but not limited to, loss of data caused as a result of viruses, spyware, malicious software, Trojans, cancelbots and worms. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this paragraph shall restrict or exclude our liability for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by our negligence.

Payment 

All major payment cards are accepted. By placing an order and confirming payment on the website of Sir John Soane’s Museum (SJSM) you agree to contract with us in accordance with the terms and conditions of sale below. No card details are recorded by SJSM. 

Goods and services

SJSM warrants that all goods promoted for sale on this site are of satisfactory quality. Specifications on this website of the goods to be sold are not intended to be binding and are intended only to give a general description of the goods. In all other respects, and to the maximum extent permissible, SJSM makes no other warranties or promises about the goods, and any implied warranties are excluded. The price of the goods shall be the price listed on our website on the date of your order, inclusive of any VAT which may be payable by you. All prices displayed on the website are quoted in UK Pounds Sterling and must be paid in full, including delivery charges.

Ordering 

By clicking the ‘PURCHASE’ button on the Confirm & Purchase Screen, you agree to the Terms and Conditions on this website. By completing and submitting the electronic order form you are making an offer to purchase goods which, if accepted by us, will result in a binding contract. You are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of your order and we shall supply you, subject to availability, with the quantity and specification of goods set out in your order. We shall initially confirm each order by e-mail. While your card may be debited before the contract is formed, if the order is ultimately rejected, a full refund will be made immediately.

Limitation of liability 

The limit of our liability to you is the making up of any shortfall, replacement, refund of the price of the goods, and, in the case of defective goods, refunding the delivery costs. We are not responsible to you to any greater extent and in particular we are not liable to you for any indirect or consequential loss (including without limitation financial loss such as loss of profit, or otherwise) which you may incur for whatever reason, as a consequence of our failure to comply with these terms and conditions. This term does not operate to exclude or limit our liability in respect of death or personal injury caused by our negligence.

Choice of law and jurisdiction 

The Terms and Conditions above shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English Law and agree to submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

Sir John Soane’s Museum is a registered charity number 313609 whose registered office is at 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields London WC2A 3BP. VAT Reg. No: 524 2639 55

THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ABOVE DO NOT IN ANY WAY AFFECT YOUR STATUTORY RIGHT

Image use Back to top

Personal & Academic Use

All content on the Sir John Soane’s Museum website copyright belongs to the trustees of Sir John Soane’s Museum.

Material may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium for research, private study or for internal circulation within an educational organisation (such as schools, colleges and universities).  This is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context or altered format (such as stretched, compressed, coloured or altered in any way so as to distort its original format). To obtain a low resolution jpg image right click on the image and select either 'save as' or 'copy'. To obtain a higher resolution image for non-commercial purposes please apply using the Commercial Use form referenced below. 

Where any of the items on this site are being republished or copied to other websites, the source of the material must be identified and the copyright status acknowledged, e.g.: “Joseph Michael Gandy, ‘An imagined view of the Bank of England in ruins’, 1830, Photo: © Sir John Soane’s Museum, London”.

Download our Terms of Use.

Print on Demand 

We also offer a selection of images from the Museum's collection for print on demand through our image licensee partners: 

Bridgeman Images - founded in 1972 they aim to make the best of the world's art available for reproduction while supporting museums, artists and collections. 

King and McGaw - established in 1982 they believe that everyone should be able to own inspiring art, which is why they work hard to bring their customers an unrivaled collection of artworks and framed prints. 

Surface View - their vast image collection began searching through Sanders of Oxford's vintage etchings and prints. They now have a selection of our floral designs for silks and the Adam brothers' architectural drawings available as prints, canvases and wall murals.

Commercial Use 

To reproduce an image for commercial use or to obtain a high resolution digital image, please download and complete this form, and email it to picturelibrary@soane.org.uk 

Filming and photography are not allowed in Sir John Soane’s Museum unless prior permission is given. To arrange a professional filming or photography for commercial use please contact:

picturelibrary@soane.org.uk

All profits made through our picture library and print on demand partners help support the continued work conducted by the Museum.

Management, Governance and Policy Documents Back to top

Sir John Soane's Museum Management and Governance

1833 Act of Parliament (original, transcript)

Sir John Soane's Museum Order, 1969 (download)

Sir John Soane's Museum Management Agreement with DCMS (download)

Trustees

Sir John Soane's Museum Policies

Access Policy (download)

Acquisitions and Disposals (Collections Management) Policy (download)

Art Spoliation Statement

On request from admin@soane.org.uk

CCTV Policy

On request from admin@soane.org.uk

Complaints Policy (download)

Due Diligence Policy for the Acceptance of Donations (download)

Equality and Diversity policy

On application from admin@soane.org.uk

Fire Safety policy 

On application from admin@soane.org.uk

Health and Safety Policy

On application from admin@soane.org.uk

Loans policy (download)

Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults policy

Available on request from admin@soane.org.uk

Fraud, Bribery and corruption prevention policy

On application from admin@soane.org.uk

Information risk policy

On application from admin@soane.org.uk

Privacy Notice (read)

Volunteers policy document

Available on application from admin@soane.org.uk

Whistleblowing policy (download)

Risk appetite statement (download)

1. The Heir Back to top

In this scene, we meet our hero, Tom Rakewell. He has just inherited a fortune following the death of his miserly father, whose house is now yielding up its hoarded wealth.

Tom attempts to pay off a servant girl, Sarah Young – her gold ring revealing an earlier, now retracted, promise of marriage. Behind Tom, an inheritance lawyer steals gold coins, while an upholsterer attaching fabric to the walls finds a hiding place for money which tumbles out servants find hidden treasures in the fireplace and money behind wall hangings. A starved cat looks for food in a chest full of silver.

2. The Levée Back to top

In his new palatial town lodgings, Tom holds a morning reception in the manner of a fashionable gentleman.

Several visitors arrive to offer their services: a jockey, a dancing-master (with violin), a landscape gardener (holding a plan), a poet, a tailor, and a musician (seated at the harpsichord, believed to be Hogarth's great rival, Handel.  

On the wall hang three new Italian paintings. We imagine Hogarth’s scorn here – he was known to dislike the fashion of acquiring Old Master works (which he called 'dark pictures') at the expense of paintings by British artists.