With more than 350 Roman funerary urns and architectural items on display, the catacombs at Sir John Soane’s Museum (13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, England, WC2A 3BP, UK; phone + 44 [0] 20 7405 2107, www.soane.org) finally opened to the public, 180 years after the death of Sir John Soane.
Sir John, a 19th-century London architect, built his palatial mansion to house his collection of artifacts and willed that it be made into a museum. However, after he died, parts of the building were dismantled and the catacombs were closed to visitors. In the 7-year project, concluded in September, restorationists also returned the museum to its original state. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tues.-Sat. Admission is free.