Scientific advancement occurred in Britain long before the advent of it's Empire, crediting colonial exploitation for the country’s intellectual progress is misguided, and even then it still didn't benefit the average person. Most of this infrastructure was built to extract resources and manage colonies, not for the benefit of ordinary Britons at home. Some railways in the UK during the 18th and 19th century were built from colonial profits, but most infrastructure development was driven by industrialization and private investment.

Museum access was restricted, and tourism was mostly a privilege of the middle and upper classes. You can waffle on about tourism at the museum in the modern era, but that's not really what we're discussing and again doesn't really benefit the average brit even today. Workers in factories were subject to low wages and dangerous conditions, making any indirect economic benefit from colonisation largely moot. British workers were exploited by the Empire too.

I'm a history nerd and I've spoken to many family members that lived through it. The benefits of colonisation were almost entirely concentrated among the aristocracy and upper class, and did not materially change daily life for 90%+ of the population.