View of Sir John Soane’s model room, restored by Julian Harrap Architects using an original watercolour of the room by C J Richardson
Mrs Soane’s morning room
The south wall of the model room, with a stand displaying three plaster models by François Fouquet
The chimney piece in the model room with Fouquet models on display
The model room with the custom-built model stand on the left
The chimneypiece in Soane’s bathroom
Mrs Soane’s morning room
Take a virtual tour of Sir John Soane’s meticulously restored private apartments in London, which have been closed to the public for 160 years. We highly recommend visiting the spaces in person from 19 May, however, when they finally open to visitors.
Sited on the second floor of Sir John Soane’s museum in Lincoln’s inn Fields, the apartments include his model room, bedroom, bathroom, book passage, oratory and Mrs Soane’s morning room – all of which had fallen into disrepair after the architect’s death in 1837.
Conservation specialists Julian Harrap Architects relied on detailed sketches from the 19th century to recreate the spaces. Chief among the attractions will be Soane’s model room, featuring 121 architectural models on a custom-built stand.
Restoration work on the apartments is part of a £7 million drive to improve the museum.
