Tag Archives: Sir John Soane’s Museum

BOOK REVIEW: Robert Adam’s London

Robert Adam’s London

Frances Sands

£25

Archaeopress

Printed ISBN 9781784914622.

Epublication ISBN 9781784914639. 

This book is a delight and has wide appeal for devotees of Robert Adam’s architecture and interiors and lovers of London. Written by Dr Frances Sands (Curator of Drawings and Books at Sir John Soane’s Museum) to mark the exhibition held earlier there at the turn of the year it is a very much stand-alone volume too.  The starting point is Richard Horwood’s map of London (1792-99) and through this each of Adam’s projects can be discovered. It takes us on a fascinating stroll through the areas of London, both north and south of the river, where Adam worked and reveals that some buildings and interiors survive albeit much altered but certainly more than I had expected while others totally lost. So whether in the comfort of an armchair or in hand while searching the streets where Adam worked it is very much a book to savour and enjoy.

http://www.archaeopress.com

London – Adam Style

Robert Adam’s London, Sir John Soane’s Museum: 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2, until 11th March 2017

Adam office, drawing made for publication showing the Admiralty Screen, Whitehall, 1759

Adam office, drawing made for publication showing the Admiralty Screen, Whitehall, 1759

It is hard to believe that this is the first time that the work of Robert Adam (proposed and realised) in London has been focused on in a London museum. Whitehall’s Admiralty screen, Portland Place, the Adelphi, Lansdowne House, Buckingham House (now Palace), Kenwood and monuments in Westminster Abbey are among the projects on show.  The Museum has the largest collection of Adam’s surviving drawings.

Adam office, finished drawing showing a funerary monument to Major John André , Westminster Abbey, c.1780-82

Adam office, finished drawing showing a funerary monument to Major John André , Westminster Abbey, c.1780-82

As one contemplates these designs one is reminded how Adam designed complete, detailed schemes for his projects whether exteriors or interiors. I could not but wonder what he would make of these modern-day buildings with their huge expanses of glass which so clearly reveal the detritus of office or domestic living to passers-by and thus lose their aesthetic appeal.

Adam office, finished drawing showing a longitudinal section through the interior of an unexecuted scheme for Lloyds Coffee House, probably on Freeman's Court, Cornhill, c.1772

Adam office, finished drawing showing a longitudinal section through the interior of an unexecuted scheme for Lloyds Coffee House, probably on Freeman’s Court, Cornhill, c.1772

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am-5pm. Last entry 4:30pm

Adam office, design for door furniture for 31 Hill Street, c.1777-79

Adam office, design for door furniture for 31 Hill Street, c.1777-79

 

Adam office, design for an unexecuted urban palace for the Earl of Findlater on Portland Place, c.1771-73

Adam office, design for an unexecuted urban palace for the Earl of Findlater on Portland Place, c.1771-73

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.soane.org

London Design Festival at the Sir John Soane’s Museum

London Design Festival at the Sir John Soane’s Museum – ‘Below Stairs’

This is the thirteenth edition of the London Design Festival and it runs until the 25th September. Once again the V&A is the Festival’s hub but there is much going on around London (400 events) and further details can be found on the website: londondesignfestival.com.

However I thought I would share this rather special treat at Sir John Soane’s Museum which is part of the Festival with you.  The last seven-year restoration project has just been completed and it means that after a thirty year total the house is fully restored.  New spaces have been opened to the public, including the Regency kitchens in the basement.

Georgian kitchen range in the Soane's Museum back kitchen. Photo: Gareth Gardner

Georgian kitchen range in the Soane’s Museum back kitchen.
Photo: Gareth Gardner

Four designers (Barber Osgerby, Jasper Morrison, Martino Gamper and Paul Cocksedge) visited the kitchens, which retain their original fittings, and were each inspired in turn. Barber Osgerby has installed a table (in Soane Green colour) which reflects how important a focal point it would be in a working kitchen while Paul Cocksedge was interested to see what the effect of just natural light would be. Jasper Morrison was inspired by the Museum’s object in daily use and Martino Gamper’s vases are made from materials found in the Museum.

Below Stairs exhibition in Soane's Museum front kitchen Photo: Gareth Gardner

Below Stairs exhibition in Soane’s Museum front kitchen
Photo: Gareth Gardner

A kitchen, of course, would not be complete without gastronomic smells and so food historian and artist Tasha Marks, founder of AVM Curiosities, has created a series of sensory scent chambers.

Edward Barber, Jay Osgerby's black Port vase in the Soane's Museum front kitchen. Photo: Gareth Gardner

Edward Barber, Jay Osgerby’s black Port vase in the Soane’s Museum front kitchen.
Photo: Gareth Gardner

The Museum’s Operations and Commercial Director, Xanthe Arvanitakis commented: “It is an honour for us to partner with London Design Festival again, especially now in our fourth year running. It’s not only a wonderful community to be a part of, but allows the Museum to continue to share Sir John Soane’s passion for design with the public and design community.”

Martino Gamper's vases on the Soane's Museum kitchen dresser. Photo: Gareth Gardner

Martino Gamper’s vases on the Soane’s Museum kitchen dresser.
Photo: Gareth Gardner

The completed restoration project is a testimonial to Sir John Soane’s protection of the house and collection through an Act of Parliament in 1833 and I feel sure he would enjoy this new display.

Paul Cocksedge Studio Soane's Light Sir John Soane's Museum Photo: Mark Cocksedge

Paul Cocksedge Studio
Soane’s Light
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Photo: Mark Cocksedge

The works will be on show as part of the exhibition ‘Below Stairs’ which runs until 28th January 2017.

 

 

www.soane.org

Bronte with a twist

Charlotte Bronte at the Soane, Sir John Soaneʼs Museum, 13 Lincolnʼs Inn Fields, London WC2, until 7th May 2016

Charlotte Brontë at the Soane, courtesy of Sir John Soane's Museum. Photo: Gareth Gardner

Charlotte Brontë at the Soane,
courtesy of Sir John Soane’s Museum.
Photo: Gareth Gardner

I shall let the exhibition’s creator the artist and writer Charlotte Cory sum it up in her own words: “I am thrilled to be curating Charlotte Brontë at the Soane on the anniversary of her birth. There is no evidence that Charlotte Brontë visited the Soane – but she should have done! She did most of the other things in her guide book and she would have loved the place. I canʼt think of a better 200th birthday present than to bring her here. The exhibition is fun but informative, touching and thought-provoking, and what is wonderful is that the Museum is exactly the same today as when she could have visited it. When you walk through the Soaneʼs front door you might as well be Charlotte Brontë back in 1850.”

Charlotte Brontë at the Soane, courtesy of Sir John Soane's Museum. Photo: Gareth Gardner

Charlotte Brontë at the Soane,
courtesy of Sir John Soane’s Museum.
Photo: Gareth Gardner

 

http://www.soane.org/bronte

The private Soane and an exhibition

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

Mrs Soane’s Morning Room ©Gareth Gardner

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

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

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 26th September 2015

Fialetti, Katrin Bellinger Collection

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

Desflaches, Katrin Bellinger Collection

www.soane.org