Sir John Soane’s Museum, 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2

Mrs Soane’s Morning Room
©Gareth Gardner

There can be little doubt that Sir John Soane’s Museum is one of London’s great treasures and a fascinating place to visit. Now it is even more so since for the first time in a hundred and sixty years the now fully restored private apartments on the second floor can be visited. They consist of Mrs Soane’s Morning Room, the Model Room (formerly Mrs Soane’s bedroom and converted by Soane in 1834), Soane’s bedroom and bathroom, the Oratory and Book Passage and they are a delight to behold and reveal even more about Soane and his life.

Abraham Thomas, the Museum’s Director says “It is wonderful to see Soane’s private apartments and Model Room reopen, so that they can be enjoyed by future visitors as he intended. Unseen in over 160 years, the restoration of the second floor offers an intriguing view into Regency life and will allow visitors to further explore the astonishing collection of the Museum. They also are a stunning demonstration of how a combination of in-depth research and skilled craftsmanship can return historic environments to their former glory.

View of the Model Room, recreating a watercolour
of the room by C J Richardson c.1834-35
©Gareth Gardner

Soane’s model collection was also at the heart of his endeavour to ensure his Museum was a space for learning and inspiration, and architectural models continue to have that function today. That is why we are delighted with the response we have had to our Adopt-a-Model initiative, where each of Soane’s models can be adopted for a ten-year period. The money we have raised so far towards our endowment target not only supports the future conservation of these rare artefacts, but also plays a critical role in allowing us to continue Soane’s vision of using his collection as a launch pad for creative practice and contemporary debate.”

The chimneypiece in Soane’s Bath Room
©Gareth Gardner

Access to the Private Rooms is only available through pre-booking. For more details about how to visit and to book, please see the Museum’s website: www.soane.org

Drawn from the Antique: Artists & the Classical Ideal, Sir John Soane’s Museum, until 26^th September 2015

Fialetti, Katrin Bellinger Collection

This is a wonderful loan show which traces how the sculptures of ancient Greece and Rome inspired the visual arts of the West from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century, influencing artists such as Rubens, Fuseli, Turner and Zuccaro as well connoisseurs, collectors and architects, including Soane himself.

Desflaches, Katrin Bellinger Collection

www.soane.org