Sir John Soane's Museum, London

The celebrated British architect Sir John Soane (1753 - 1837) created his extraordinary house-museum from three properties in Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. There, in houses that embody both his architectural vision and his passion for collecting, Soane exhibited a marvellous array of artefacts, including an outstanding collection of plaster casts, and idiosyncratic items ranging from mummified cats to the sarcophagus of the Egyptian king Seti I. Soane intended the collection to be an 'Academy of Architecture' that would inspire students for generations to come, and today it continues to attract more than 90,000 visitors every year. Written by the present director of the museum and featuring specially commissioned photographs by Derry Moore, this absorbing account of a unique, perpetually surprising cabinet of curiosities offers a fascinating insight into the genius of an exceptional man.