The Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge)

You can't go far in Cambridge without bumping into a Fitzwilliam. There's a Fitzwilliam Street; little Fitzbillie's is a popular tea shop. A distant cousin, Fitzwilliam College, sits aloofly on the outskirts. But the paterfamilias of the clan, square and majestic in the centre of the city, is the Fitzwilliam Museum. With its classical columns and pediment it looks like the British Museum, without the crowds. It also gives off a "to be taken seriously" aura. This was the place where a hapless visitor tripped over his shoelaces and in the course of his ensuing prat-fall brought down three priceless Qing vases. The museum sued for criminal damage. Crazy, eh? (Well ...  Read the complete review