Group Visits

The Museum welcomes visits from groups of all kinds but, in order to allow all our visitors to enjoy the Museum as we would wish, we need to ask for your co-operation in the following ways.

Group Visits
Because of the large number of groups wishing to visit the Museum we have had to institute a booking system for group visits. 6 people or more must book to visit as a group.  All groups should book at least 3 months in advance to avoid disappointment.  The maximum group size we can accommodate is 15 including tutors.
 
Groups of   6 - 15 people = 1 timeslot
Groups of 16 - 30 people = 2 timeslots
Groups of 31 - 45 people = 3 timeslots
Groups of 46 - 60 people = 4 timeslots
 
We allow a maximum of 3 groups to visit per day, and only one group may visit at a time. Due to a shortage of cloakroom space each group must leave the Museum before the next group arrive, and so we allow 1.5 hours for each group visit. Suitable arrival times are 10am, 11:30, 2pm or 3:30pm. Groups are not permitted to visit during our busy lunchtime period.
 
Groups are invited to come in on a Tuesday (all day), Thursday afternoon or Friday (all day) only. All day Wednesday and Thursday mornings are set aside for primary school group visits. Groups can not be accommodated on Saturdays, or on our late evening opening on the first Tuesday of the month, as these times are very busy.
 
Please note we do not offer guided group tours.  Instead we offer free audio tours which you are welcome to download onto a MP3 player before visiting the Museum. We also sell short descriptions which follow the route recommended by Soane for £2 at reception. Our Warders are very knowledgeable and are happy to answer questions you may have during your visit. You may ask your own guide or lecturer to address the group on arrival at the Museum in the Library-Dining Room, but we ask you not to gather in large groups elsewhere in the Museum in order that our other visitors are not inconvenienced. 

Use of mobile phones, photographic equipment and Ipads is not permitted.
 
We very much appreciate voluntary donations, and suggest a discretionary donation of around £50 from groups would be most welcome. Donations contribute towards our education programmes and the preservation of the building and wonderful collection here at The Soane.
 
We are very busy, and we recommend you book at least 3 months in advance. 
 
Your Arrival
House was built as a home and was not designed to cope with the five to six hundred people who, on a daily basis, pass in and out of the hallways, so we place a member of staff at the gate throughout the day to manage the queue and to direct visitors in whenever the hallway is clear.
On arrival at the Museum, you will be asked by our Warder to turn off your telephones and reminded that no photography is allowed as we try to preserve the atmosphere in the house and give a sense of going back to a time when such things did not exist.
 
Bags
As way of helping to preserve the fabric of the building and the furniture and artefacts inside the House, you will be asked to place your bag into a clear plastic carrier bag. A visit to the Soane is intended to be an incredibly intimate experience and we do not like to rope or cordon off what are extremely small and intricate spaces; this presents a very real risk of damage from the straps and buckles and other bits of metal that are part of even the smallest bag. Putting bags into our plastic bags is our way of reducing the risk as much as possible.
Owing to the current high alert security situation, all bags may be searched as a condition of entry. We regret that large bags and suitcases cannot be accommodated in the Museum.
 
WCs
There are two WCs in basement of the Museum.
 
Where to eat locally
There is no café in the Museum but there are many good places to eat close by. There are a number of cafés and restaurants on Kingsway and High Holborn (2 minutes away) and picnics can be eaten in Lincoln’s Inn Fields (one of the oldest and largest garden squares in London). Our Warders can give directions and advice about where to eat locally.
 
To make a booking, please complete the online booking form or contact Claire Lucky:

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7440 4263
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7831 3957
email: groups@soane.org.uk