The art collection features a peerless assortment of Pre-Raphaelite paintings (including an oil by Dante Gabriel Rosetti), as well as works by Picasso and Burne-Jones.

However, spectators who wish to view the pictures will have to journey to Sydmonton Court, Lloyd Webber's Berkshire country home, where he plans to create a museum for the collection.

"We've bought a site near Sydmonton, which could be a staging post," said the songwriter. The "staging post" would be a spot where tourists could board a bus taking them to the museum. "I think people would quite like to see the collection in the context of where I lived. That's my wish: to keep it in one place." He detailed his plans while conducting a tour of Sydmonton for ITV1's "The South Bank Show."

The proposed museum will also include costumes and sets from the shows Cats, Starlight Express and The Phantom of the Opera, conceivably resulting in an interesting mix of high art paintings and pop culture memorabilia, where an example of Picasso's Blue Period is featured near a room showcased Grizabella's original cat suit.

Lloyd Webber's holds an annual festival at Sydmonton Court, where he unveils new projects and compositions. This year, he presented the first act of a new musical based on Wilkie Collins' Victorian novel The Woman in White.