The house and museum of Sir John Soane, renowned neo-classical architect. Home to an eclectic collection of art, architecture and all manner of treasures!
Entry free, just pop in! Welcome to the page of Sir John Soane's Museum. Sir John Soane, R.A., architect, was born in 1753, the son of a bricklayer, and died after a long and distinguished career, in 1837. Soane designed his house to live in, but also as a setting for his antiquities and his works of art. After the death of his wife (1815), he lived alone, constantly adding to and rearran
ging his collections. Having been deeply disappointed by the conduct of his two sons, one of whom survived him, he determined to establish the house as a museum to which ‘amateurs and students’ should have access. The Museum is a building of outstanding originality, with its picturesque vistas and inventive handling of light and space. He filled it with a remarkable collection of art, sculpture, books, drawings and models. The collection includes paintings by Hogarth, Canaletto, Turner and Reynolds; antique sculpture; plaster casts; architectural models and an Egyptian sarcophagus. The objects are arranged in a labyrinth of top-lit spaces, decorated with hundreds of mirrors.
Operating as usual
“Architecture cannot fail of creating sensations in the mind…” 💬 Sir John Soane, from his third Royal Academy Lecture, 1830.
We like to think Soane’s architecture continues to create these ‘sensations’, two centuries on. For you, what words come to mind when you think about the spaces Sir John designed in his Museum and home? ❤️🏘️
Photo: Alixe Lay
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Soane, as our lovely new wreath has arrived to welcome all who visit us! 🎄
To get in the festive spirit, our marvellous Museum Shop team will be taking part in tomorrow. There’ll be a day of discounts and delights, with exclusive signed books on offer, chocolate tastings, free gift wrapping and a great deal of Soanean seasonal cheer! 🎁
But don’t worry if you can’t pop by in person – there’ll also be a 15% discount online for one day only, if you use the code ‘Museum Shop Sunday’ at the checkout. Have a browse: shop.soane.org 🎅
Dream alert: fancy caring for this extraordinary space every day? 🤯
We’re seeking an exceptional House and Facilities Manager to work with Conservation, Curatorial and Front of House Teams to ensure the safe operation and maintenance of our three Grade 1 listed buildings.
The post holder will be responsible for building maintenance, fire safety and prevention, security and is in overall charge of health and safety. In short, a vital role in the everyday preservation of this unique home and Museum! 🏛️
Curious? Head to our website for more information, including a full job description: https://bit.ly/3EVKMqr. Good luck! 🤞
Applications are open to join our Youth Panel! 🎉 If you’re 15 - 24, you could help shape the activities and opportunities that we offer to young people, while learning new skills for a career in Museums!
How to apply: https://bit.ly/3UImx4p 🔍
We’re delighted to share that architect Peter Barber is our 2022 recipient of the ! 🏅👏
As one of Britain’s most acclaimed architects and founder of Peter Barber Architects, Peter’s practice focuses on social housing and urban planning. He has been widely celebrated for his inventive approach to design, delivering innovative housing which is both high-quality and affordable. Peter has also developed a number of projects which respond to issues including the housing crisis, the climate emergency, and the revitalisation of de-industrialised areas.
Peter said: “I am so thrilled to have been awarded this year’s Soane Medal. To be part of such an illustrious group of winners was both a lovely surprise and an honour. Soane was an inventive architect, playing with the Classical style of architecture, and I hope that we continue to build on this legacy of experimenting with traditional ideas and styles. At a time of such uncertainty, it’s really great to see social housing centre stage.” 🏘️
Join us tonight at 6.30pm GMT as Peter presents his vision for the future of our built environment, live from the Library-Dining Room at Sir John Soane’s Museum – here’s a link to the stream: https://youtu.be/UPSMYaWgAPI. See you there! 🎉
One of the first rooms you enter at the Museum – the Library-Dining Room was designed to impress guests and potential clients of Soane. More than two centuries on, it still has the wow factor! 🤯
Did you know that the beautiful stained glass in the north window depicts the Creation and the Last Judgement? The glass panels were antiques in Soane’s time, products of Switzerland in the 1600s. They were badly damaged in the London Blitz of 1940, but thankfully, they were rescued, repaired and stored, before reinstallation in 1990. Aren’t they stunning? ❤️
Next Tuesday, you’re invited to join a free livestream from this unique space as our 2022 Soane Medallist – a talented architect with a radical vision for the future of the British built environment – gives a fascinating lecture. Register now, and we’ll send the link to join directly to your inbox on the day of the event: https://bit.ly/3UsADX4 🏅
Photos: Matt Clayton (left) and Florine Ghilbert (right)
Our new exhibition opens today, exploring the connections between the LSE Marshall Building and Sir John Soane’s Museum! 🎉
It has been a joy to work with Grafton Architects – the designers of our new neighbour across Lincoln’s Inn Fields – to chart the shared architectural principles and ideas that these two centres of culture and education share. Discover side-by-side section drawings, architectural models, detailed plans and amazing scans, all of which combine to tell the story of two ! 🪐🕰️
The exhibition, which will run until 8 January, is supported by a fascinating variety of events, from architectural sketching workshops to local walking tours. Visit the exhibition page to explore the programme: https://bit.ly/3yRWfnJ 🔍
You’re invited to the Soane Medal lecture! 🏅 Wherever you are in the world, join us via a live stream from the Library-Dining Room at Sir John Soane’s Museum as our 2022 Soane Medallist – a vital voice on housing and urbanism – shares their manifesto for the future of our built environment. 🏘️
The live stream is free to join – simply register via our website and we’ll send you a link to join on the morning of the event.
📅 Tuesday 8 November, 6.30pm GMT | register: https://bit.ly/3MAPfB5 🎟️
Photo: Elena Bazu
Join Grafton Architects founders Shelley McNamara and Yvonne Farrell in conversation with Eric Parry RA, as they discuss the LSE Marshall Building – our new neighbour on Lincoln’s Inn Fields and the heart of our new exhibition, opening next week! ✨
In the Marshall Building’s spectacular Great Hall, this panel discussion brings together three architects of extraordinary talent and experience. Shelley and Yvonne will explore the genesis of the Marshall Building, its connections to Sir John Soane’s Museum, and the development of our collaborative exhibition, Neighbours in Space and Time.
⏰ Wednesday 19 October | doors at 6.30pm, for a 7pm start | book your place: https://bit.ly/3CQRayf 🎟️
Photo: Morley von Sternberg, RIBA
Join architect Sophie Hicks in conversation at the Soane – exploring her career in design through the lens of this peculiar little corridor in the Museum! 🔍✏️
As part of our series of talks, Sophie will chat with author and journalist Alice Rawsthorn. From the Museum’s vast collections and grand spaces, Sophie picked out this narrow wood-panelled corridor, which runs between the Colonnade and Sir John’s dressing room and conceals his toilet (behind the mirror!), as being of particular relevance to her work. Come along to find out why!
Monday 17 October, 6.30pm 📅
Tickets include after-hours candlelit access to the Museum and a glass of wine in the South Drawing Room – book here: https://bit.ly/3SEqbeR 🥂🎟️
Today marks 200 years since the young Frenchman and Egyptologist Jean-François Champollion announced he had deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphs! 𓂀🔺🔍
Examining texts brought from Egypt, including the Rosetta stone, Champollion realised that hieroglyphs recorded the sound of the Egyptian language and began to identify a relationship between hieroglyphic and non-hieroglyphic scripts. On September 27, 1822, Champollion caused a sensation when he first exhibited his breakthrough in an eight-page draft of his famous ‘Lettre à M. Dacier’ to a full room at the ‘Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres’, of which Dacier was the secretary. What a moment that must have been! 📜🤯
Champollion's discovery allowed mankind access to more than three millennia of its own history. Sir John Soane’s Museum holds the Sarcophagus of Pharaoh Seti I (here painted in 1825) – remarkable because its surface is densely incised with hieroglyphics recording the Book of Gates, which describes the journey of the sun god through the underworld. Thanks to Champollion, this amazing story is accessible to visitors and scholars today! 👏
Fancy making this your studio next year? You have less than a fortnight left to apply for our Drawing Office residency! ✏️🏛️
Calling artists of all disciplines: if drawing is integral to your practice, we want to hear from you! Sir John Soane’s Museum is offering two three-month residencies, in the spring and autumn of 2023, based in this beautiful space. Once the beating heart of Soane’s architectural practice and teaching, the Drawing Office – also known as the Student’s Room, for those who spent many hours producing beautiful drawings here – is currently the subject of a delicate and much-needed restoration and conservation project. One of the finest surviving examples of its kind, this historic hub of creativity is coming back to life, and we’d love for you to be at the heart of this exciting new chapter! 😍
Applications close on Tuesday 4 October. Read up on the details via the residency portal: https://bit.ly/3fatxYf 📜
Photo: Derry Moore
At the heart of the Museum stand Soane’s collection of cinerary urns and vases. These delicate and beautiful items were crafted to contain the ashes of those who have passed away – examples of a posthumous practice of remembrance that stretches back over 4,000 years. Positioned around the sarcophagus of Seti I, and amongst the skulls and death masks of Soane’s crypt, it is perhaps a reflection of Sir John’s fascinations as a collector and experiences as a widow that he chose to structure his Museum around such rare and special articles of loss and memorialisation. ⏳ ⚱️
Photo: Florine Ghilbert
Whilst the Soane normally opens on bank holidays, we feel that it’s important to close on Monday 19 September – both to reflect on the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, and for our colleagues to rest ahead of a busy autumn schedule of events and exhibitions. 🍂
Thanks for your understanding. Our opening hours otherwise remain as normal, and we hope to welcome you soon – through the doorway beneath this beautiful stained glass transom – to Soane's unique home, Museum and collections. 👋
Photo: Elena Bazu
Everyone at Sir John Soane’s Museum wishes to extend their deepest sympathies and condolences to the Royal Family upon the death of Her Majesty the Queen. As a mark of respect, the Museum will remain closed to the public until Saturday, 10 September.
Image: a mourning card for George Bailey (1837 - 1860), the Museum’s first curator.
Join the amazing Assemble Play at the Soane this weekend to transform Lincoln’s Inn Fields with your very own colourful architectural creations! 🏘️🌈
Providing a kit of loose parts for building with, Assemble Play give children of all ages a chance to create their own unique structures out of the resources provided – everything from colourful sheets of fabric to foam construction blocks, dressing up clothes and wheely toys. Inspired by a trip around the Museum, families can work together, learning from how Sir John used his own wild imagination to design his unforgettable interiors, playing with space and light. ☀️
⏰ 11am - 3pm, Saturday 10 September in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, opposite the Museum – it’s free to join, so pop by whenever! 👋
Ever wondered what a London designed by Sir John Soane might have looked like? 🤔
At the peak of his career, Soane reimagined the great thoroughfares and buildings of the capital. Working at both Westminster and the Bank of England, Soane was perfectly placed to advocate for his neoclassical vision, which would have created markedly different vistas across the city.
He wanted to create a grand processional route through London: with a ceremonial entrance to the city in Kensington featuring a triumphal arch (image one), a new royal palace and sepulchral chapel in Green Park and St. James’s (two), all culminating in his crowning glory, a new House of Lords (three). 🏛️
In the end, his additions to the existing House of Lords were the only part of this extraordinary scheme to be realised. The ‘Scala Regia’, or royal stair, was a ceremonial entrance used by the monarch’s at the yearly reopening of Parliament (image four) and Soane’s adjoining new Royal Gallery (five) was built at great speed in order to be ready for the ceremony in February 1824. The workmen who toiled night and day had their labours recognised by a feast paid for out of Soane's own pocket. 🥂
Unfortunately, fire damage led to the eventual demolition of these rare glimpses of a Soanean capital, clearing the way for the iconic Westminster we see today.
What do you think? Would Soane’s opulent alternatives have become as iconic as those that stand today? 💭
Go behind the scenes at the Soane with ! 🕵️
We invite you to visit No.14 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which was bought by Sir John Soane in 1823 to extend the space of his museum next door at No.13. He tore down the original property in stages and rebuilt, starting with the expansion of his Museum at the back of the house, including the construction of the famous Picture Room. The house was not included in the endowment of the Museum and passed into the hands of a series of private owners, only being purchased by the Museum with the help of grants and Lottery funding in 1996. 🏘️
For this year’s Open House Festival, explore this often overlooked Soanean marvel – visit our Library and the Adam Study Centre, and view architectural drawings and models from Soane’s collection not normally on display.
There’s no need to book, just drop in! 👋 Sunday 11 September, 10am - 5pm ⏰
How have these wonderful watercolours played a vital role in the restoration and conservation of the Museum? 🖼️🎨
These gorgeous pieces – painted by Soane’s proteges C.J. Richardson and J.M. Gandy – captured his home and Museum in 1825. As such, they are time capsules of the precise arrangement of each eclectic space, as Soane intended it – invaluable evidence when seeking to restore or revert each room to the Soanean ideal, so often tweaked by the Museum’s early curators.
Keen to know more? Join our Deputy Director, Helen Dorey, MBE, for an illustrated talk exploring the ‘Pupils Sketches Album’ – a compendium of these watercolours – to discover how our unique spaces have changed over two centuries and the role of such paintings in looking after them. 📖🏛️
📅 7th September, 1pm | Tickets: https://bit.ly/3wgxTCz 🎟️
Meet ‘Victory’, one of Sir John Soane’s final additions to his Museum and legacy. 👋🏛️
This cast was produced by the sculptor John Flaxman and given to Soane in 1836. On 10 January 1837, just ten days before his death, Soane directed its installation in the Breakfast Room of no. 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields – where it remains, in front of a painting of the Soane family tomb at St-Giles-in-the-Fields, near St. Pancras. ⛪
Why Soane positioned this figure of Nike, the winged goddess of Victory, to watch over a painting of the tomb in which his beloved wife Eliza and eldest son were buried has been interpreted by some as significant – perhaps the final sentimental gesture of a man looking back on his life and the losses he was marked by along the way. 💕
It’s the Picture Room, but not as you know it! 😍 Sir John Soane’s Museum has a long heritage in augmenting reality, and Joseph Michael Gandy – Soane’s trusted draughtsman – was the augmenter-in-chief, producing many artworks, such as this one, that play with reality to celebrate Soane’s work. 🎨
Here Gandy has adjusted the dimensions of Soane's Picture Room by visually elongating the space, which in reality is far more modestly scaled whilst containing a series of moveable planes that serve to extend the limited wall space, accommodating multiple layers of framed pictures. This carefully constructed view fills this grand, expanded space with drawings and models of Soane's buildings, offering a library of endless portals into different built environments from throughout Soane’s career. 🖼️🏛️
You can see this extraordinary piece up close in Space Popular’s exhibition at the Soane, – the latest conjuring of alternate realities and hidden worlds in the abundant Soanean tradition! Drop in Wednesday - Sunday, 10 to 5, to find out more… 🕵️
13 Lincoln's Inn Fields
London
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Sir John Soane's Museum is just a short walk from Holborn tube station on the Central and Piccadilly Lines. To plan your journey on public transport visit the Transport for London Journey Planner page.
For further information about visiting the Museum, please see our website, www.soane.org
| Wednesday | 10am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 10am - 5pm |
| Friday | 10am - 5pm |
| Saturday | 10am - 5pm |
| Sunday | 10am - 5pm |
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Hear from top designers in a unique series of inspirational talks at the Soane! 🎉😍 These are the amazing speakers for our third season of By Design, a public talk series in which top designers discuss their practice, through the lens of a single object. Kicking off with the wonderful Yinka Ilori on 20 September, this season features artist Cornelia Parker, architect Sophie Hicks, interior designer Martin Brudnizki and milliner Stephen Jones, with Will Gompertz and Alice Rawsthorn chairing. What a line-up! ✨ Each event, made possible by the support of Luke Irwin, will offer you not just the chance to hear from these remarkable creative voices, but also after-hours access to the many beautiful spaces of the Soane. Sir John aspired for his Museum to become ‘an academy of architecture’ – in that spirit, we hope these talks will be enlightening for anyone with a passion for creativity and design. 💡🎨 Tickets are on sale now: https://bit.ly/3Qdv7pD 🎟️
Curious to learn more about our new virtual reality exhibition, #ThePortalGalleries? 🥽✨ Watch the marvellous Lara and Fredrik of Space Popular explain how the architecture of Sir John Soane’s Museum inspired their extraordinary research project into the concept of portals in fiction, now articulated through two unique VR films. 📽️📺📚 From all the worlds of storytelling – books, cinema, TV – we’d love to know, what’s your favourite portal? Share in the comments below. You may well find it at the Soane when you visit the exhibition! 🔍
Artist Anne-Marie Creamer explains how making her film ‘Dear Friend, I Can No Longer Hear Your Voice’ – a digital reconstruction of Eliza’s lost bedchamber as it was left upon her sudden death in 1815, currently on display at the Soane – introduced her to a remarkable woman who left a lasting legacy in the Museum her devoted husband built. 📽️ On 20 May, join Anne-Marie, artist Oreet Ashery, writer Dr. Kathryn Mannix, the Soane’s deputy director Helen Dorey and Wellcome’s Melanie Keen for a special online panel exploring death, bereavement and creative approaches to memorialising, inspired by Soane, Eliza and Anne-Marie’s remarkable film. Free to attend, we’d love for you to join the discussion – register now: https://bit.ly/3wcyVji 🔍
'The Architecture Drawing Prize: Five Year Retrospective' digital exhibition is now live – a comprehensive and diverse collection of a half-decade of extraordinary creativity and craft! 🏗️🏛️ In partnership with Make Architects and the World Architecture Festival, and curated by the Soane’s own Curator of Exhibitions, Dr. Louise Stewart, visit the Soane from 20 Jan to see the collection in person, or dive into the Vault to explore the retrospective as an interactive digital exhibition: https://bit.ly/3yq7zG9 🖼️
Each year, the #SoaneMedal celebrates an extraordinary and impactful talent from the world of architecture. On Tuesday 16 November, we’ll be announcing our marvellous Medallist via livestream, followed by their lecture and a panel discussion, chaired by Sir David Chipperfield. We’d love for you to join us. The online event is free to attend, and you can pre-register now: https://bit.ly/3BHJ1IE 👈
Our Museum is made digital in our online experience #ExploreSoane. Get closer than ever before to its fascinating objects and see its eclectic rooms in a new light. http://explore.soane.org/
In a new body of work created especially for Sir John Soane’s Museum, contemporary artist Pablo Bronstein presents his unique, seductive and deeply ironic vision of hell. Pablo Bronstein: Hell in its Heyday until 2 Jan. Entry free with timed ticket to the Museum. Find out more at https://www.soane.org/exhibitions/pablo-bronstein-hell-its-heyday #PabloBronstein #SoaneMuseum
Our fourth and final By Design talk, with Amanda Levete of AL_A airs on Monday. In the meantime, you can watch the others at https://www.soane.org/by-design! Produced in partnership with @lukeirwinrugs
The first of our Soane Study Group talks has been released. In this talk, Saskia Huning discusses her project to recreate the trompe l'oeil decorative ceiling of the Saville Club ballroom.
By Design is a free online talk series hosted by Sir John Soane’s Museum in partnership with Luke Irwin @lukeirwinrugs. Inspired by Soane’s own extraordinary collection, internationally renowned designers from across the world of design discuss their practice through a single object. Will Gompertz hosts artist Phyllida Barlow in the Library Dining Room for our third talk. #SoaneMuseum #art #artist #sculpture #sculptor #design #museum #talk
Next Monday Will Gompertz hosts artist Phyllida Barlow in the Library Dining Room for the next of our By Design talks. Watch it and our previous talks with Ilse Crawford and Erdem Moralioglu at www.soane.org/by-design. By Design is produced in partnership with Luke Irwin Rugs
By Design is a free online talk series hosted by Sir John Soane’s Museum in partnership with Luke Irwin @lukeirwinrugs. Inspired by Soane’s own extraordinary collection, internationally renowned designers from across the world of design discuss their practice through a single object. In this talk, Alice Rawsthorn speaks with interior designer Ilse Crawford, who discusses her object, a humble tape measure, and her work as Principal of @studioilse_ #Design #interiordesign #interiors #interiordesigner #talk #Designer #ilsecrawford #SoaneMuseum
Join us on Monday for the next By Design talk, as Alice Rawsthorn hosts interior designer Ilse Crawford, founder of Studio Ilse. If you'd like to watch the last talk, with fashion designer Erdem Moralioglu, you can do so via the link in our bio, or by watching our #IGTV channel. By Design is produced in partnership with @lukeirwinrugs #SoaneMuseum #Design
Produced in partnership with the British Museum, this exhibition showcases a series of powerful and poetic watercolours made on an expedition to discover ancient Greek ruins in Ionia (in modern Turkey) and Athens in 1764. Book tickets to the Museum and view the exhibition online at www.soane.org/romance-ruins
Today we reopened and launched our new exhibition, The Romance of Ruins: The Search for Ancient Ionia, 1764. Produced in partnership with the British Museum, the exhibition showcases the poetic watercolours of William Pars, made on an expedition to discover the ruins of ancient Ionia and Athens. Find out more and book your free ticket at www.soane.org/romance-ruins
LSESU Economic History Society
Sheffield Street
Museum of Domestic Design & Architecture
Boulevard Drive