Sir John Soane

Soane Museum, at London, England, 1812 to 1834.  * 3D Model *

Tendering Hall, at near Suffolk, England, 1784 to 1790.

      map of works

(b. Goring-on-Thames 1753; d. London, England 1837)

John Soane was born in Goring-on-Thames in 1753. The son of a bricklayer, he trained under George Dance the Younger and Henry Holland before he entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1771. In 1778 he travelled to Italy. In Rome he met the builder Frederick Hervey, the Bishop of Derry, with whom he went to Ireland. Unable to find work in Ireland, Soane returned to East Anglia, England where he established a modest practice.

In 1788 Soane became Surveyor to the Bank of England. His contacts from this job, as well as the money he inherited on his father-in-law's death helped him build a successful practice. In 1809 Soane became Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy. In 1814 Soane he was appointed to the Board of Works, a post which lasted until his retirement in 1832.

Soane displays an originality and control that places him among a small group of architectural innovators. In his work he concentrates on the detailing of internal spaces and lighting. He frequently incorporated shallow domes, segmental arches, and clerestories which he emphasized with linear ornamentation and color.

Soane was knighted in 1832 and in 1833 he obtained an Act of Parliament through which his house became a national architecture museum. Soane died in London, England in 1837.

References
Dennis Sharp. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Architects and Architecture. New York: Quatro Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-8230-2539-X. NA40.I45. p144.

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