Sir John Soane's Museum Foundation

OPENING UP THE SOANE

Letter from the Museum Director in London

‘Opening up the Soane’ is a new, £6M project and a major part of the Soane Masterplan, which lays out our ambition to restore, refurbish and improve Sir John Soane’s Museum.

The charming watercolour views that you can see on these pages record parts of the Museum as they were in the years immediately preceding Soane’s death in 1837. If they look unfamiliar to you that’s because after Soane’s death, for various reasons, these richly decorated and typically
idiosyncratic Soanean chambers were dismantled and pressed into service as offices and staff accommodation. Thanks to the recent restoration of No.14 Lincoln’s Inn Fields we can move the offices next door. One of the principal aims of ‘Opening up the Soane’ is to restore these exquisite and
intriguing rooms to their former brilliance for all our visitors to enjoy.

‘Opening up the Soane’ includes other improvements such as upgraded visitor facilities, the creation of a new Exhibition Gallery and Conservation Studios, and improvements that will allow full disabled access to the Museum. These changes will enable us to show more of the Museum and its collections, and to look after them better – retaining and enhancing the
special atmosphere of this unique museum.

All this will be completed by 2012 – the 200th anniversary of the building of No.13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields. It is an ambitious and complex project, arguably the most challenging the Museum has yet to undertake, and inside this brochure you will find more information to help you understand our plans and aspirations. I hope that in turn, you may be able to help us make the Soane an even better Museum.

Tim Knox
Director
Sir John Soane’s Museum

Take a 360° view of the Colonnade & Dome, No. 13 – an area filled with sculpture, architectural fragments, marbles and more …

Virtual reality tour is provided by British Tours Ltd

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Sir John Soane's three houses at nos. 12, 13 and 14 Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1830	No. 12
	No.13
	No. 14
Click on the image of each house to learn more about what is in store in the future...

‘Opening up the Soane’ – A capital appeal to raise £6M

In 2010 Sir John Soane’s Museum will embark on an ambitious, new phase of restoration and development that will achieve the following improvements:

To restore and open up to the public the second floor of No.13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields comprising Mr. and Mrs. Soane’s private apartments, dismantled in 1840.
Provide disabled access to over 80% of the public spaces of the Museum, over four floors.
To recreate on the second floor of No. 13 the original setting and display for Soane’s collection of historical architectural models – the largest in the UK and never before on permanent display.
To recreate Soane’s original ground floor Ante-Room, complete with views down to the catacombs in the crypt below.
To create a new Exhibition Gallery for temporary exhibitions on the first floor of No. 12.
Create a new reception and shop on the ground floor of No. 12.
Offer three new interpretation spaces for visitors to learn more about Soane and his work.
To restore the Tivoli Recess – London’s first gallery for contemporary sculpture.
Creation of a dedicated conservation suite for in-house care of the collections.

These improvements will made a huge difference and achieve the following benefits:

The public will have access to eight ‘new’ Soanean rooms and spaces.
A further four existing rooms will be authentically reinstated.
Visitors will see more than 300 works of art as Soane intended – many for the first time.
80 historical architectural models – the largest collection in the UK – will be displayed.
60% more display space in the exhibition gallery and more floor space for visitors and groups.
Improved ‘welcome’, security, and visitor experience via the new reception facilities.
Greater capacity for up to 25% more visitors, resulting in smaller queues and less wear and tear.
Greatly enhanced disability access via two new lifts, link passage and structural improvements.
Additional interpretative information so that visitors can enjoy and learn more from their visit.
A larger and more profitable shop providing more Soane related books and merchandise.
Better long term care of the collections via improved conservation and cleaning facilities.

How much will it cost to Open up the Soane?

Working within the three historic, Grade 1 listed houses that comprise Sir John Soane’s Museum is never inexpensive. Soane used the finest materials and the most accomplished craftsmen, which is why his Museum looks today much as it did in 1837 when he died. Maintaining Soane’s high standards is therefore important. The Museum has experience of running a number of complex and important restoration projects over the last 20 years, including the restoration of No.14 and The Three Courtyards. Experienced staff and other professionals will manage each phase of ‘Opening up the Soane’, ensuring that the project is delivered on time and on budget.

The costs below are the headline figures and include professional fees (architect, quantity surveyor etc.), contingency and inflation allowance. Full and detailed financial information on each part of the project is available, together with financial information about the Museum:

Restoration of second-floor private apartments £1,000,000
Restoration of second-floor Model Room £400,000
Restoration of the ground floor Ante-Room and Catacombs £625,000
Creation of new Exhibition Gallery £700,000
Creation of a new Reception and Shop £390,000
New lifts and disabled access improvements £500,000
New interpretation and education facilities £215,000
The restoration of the Tivoli Recess and other historic spaces £920,000
Creation of the new Conservation Suite £540,000
New staff and activities directly related to the above £710,000

Fundraising Target £6,000,000

In order for the project to start on time in 2010 it is the Museum’s aim to conclude the greater part of its fundraising by the end of 2009.

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Sir John Soane’s Museum
was created by the architect Sir John Soane at No. 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London and has been a public museum since his death in 1837. The son of a bricklayer, Soane became one of England’s greatest architects, responsible for the Bank of England, the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, the Dulwich Picture Gallery and interiors at the Prime Minister’s residence at No. 10 Downing Street amongst many others.

As an early master of light and space, his work continues to inspire architects and designers across the world. Architects as diverse as Frank Gehry and Philip Johnson have acknowledged their debt to his legacy; whilst leading designers such as Sir Paul Smith and Tom Ford are amongst those from the world of fashion and interior design who regularly seek out the special ambience and arrangements of the Soane for inspiration.

Many of the works of art and antiquities are world class – including twelve paintings by Hogarth (‘An Election’ and ‘A Rake’s Progress’) and fine works by Canaletto, Turner and others. As an avid collector of architectural drawings, Soane’s compilation includes works by Wren, Chambers and Dance; some 9,000 architectural drawings from the office of Robert Adam and over 10,000 drawings from his own office. Amongst the hundreds of architectural fragments, casts and sculptures can be found the remarkable sarcophagus of King Seti I from the Valley of the Kings, one of the finest examples anywhere in the world.

Few small collections in the world rival Soane’s for quality and eclecticism; his understanding of space and light allowed him to design rooms and galleries that show his collections at their very best. It is a unique and wonderful place, cherished by those who discover it; and once visited it is never forgotten. Sometimes described as ‘the best kept secret in London’, the Soane Museum is shared with over 90,000 visitors each year.

‘Opening up the Soane’ is the last significant restoration project left for the Museum to complete. It follows major restoration of internal spaces in the Crypt, Drawing Rooms and the Three Courtyards – and follows the highly successful restoration of the Soane house next door at No. 14 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, which has become the centre for the Museum’s Education and Research activities.

Opening up the Soane will be completed by 2012. Inside this brochure you will find a good deal of information about the project and the Museum’s aspirations to make a visit to the Soane an even better experience.

Soane and his Museum - A couple of other interesting bits about Soane and his Museum.