Sir John Soane's Museum

Time Out says

Tue Jul 24 2012

Designed by architect Sir John Soane to house his own collection of paintings and architectural salvage, the museum is a tranquil place full of unexpected treasures, with a wealth of intriguing natural lighting effects best viewed on a bright day. A leading architect of his day, Soane is responsible for the building that housed the Bank of England (only the perimeter remains now). Much of Sir John Soane's Museum's appeal derives from the domestic setting – the Breakfast Room has a much-imitated domed ceiling, inset with convex mirrors, for instance. On the first Tuesday of each month, Sir John Soane's Museum opens late and some parts are lit by candlelight. During the holidays, drop-off children's workshops exploring the house take place. Visitors can now see the Picture Room rehung according to Soane's original arrangement, featuring works by Canaletto and others. The rehang is part of 'Opening Up The Soane', a three-year project to open up areas and aspects of Soane's collection and improve visitor facilities. The first completed phase of 'Opening Up the Soane' is revealed on July 6, 2012, when a restored, Soane-designed house, built and decorated by John and Eliza Soane for their own use in 1792, is opened to the public. The house, Number 12 Lincoln's Inn Fields, is a neoclassical townhouse with elaborate decorations including a 'geometric' staircase, with walls painted to resemble the sooty masonry of a Roman catacomb, two Pompeian-red rooms, one with a ceiling painted like a cloudy sky, and a breakfast parlour, its vault painted as a vine trellis by John Crace, the artist who decorated the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. Upstairs is a new gallery, designed by Caruso St John Architects, for temporary exhibitions. Behind the scenes, new conservation studios will enable conservators to continue to protect and preserve Soane's collections for generations to come.