A Morning at Sir John Soane's Museum

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My brother Paul and I had an early start to the day (early by holiday standards at least). We headed off across London Bridge at 9am with what seemed like a procession of thousands heading into the City. We were meeting Paul's P.A Denise, her husband Dave and her Aussie friend "Mouse".

I will be first to admit I had no idea who John Soane was prior to my arrival in London this week. When my brother recommended a visit to the Museum I asked "Who is John Soane?" Having visited the Museum I now think that Soane (one of England's greatest architects) would have to be one of England's most interesting characters and prolific collectors of artefacts. This museum would be one of my favourite places in London to visit.

The weather today was cold - a chilly breeze took the edge off the warmth of the sun as we made our way into Bank for the short tube ride to Holborn. We passed the Bank of England building (designed by John Soane) and no doubt a scene controlled panic over the last few weeks.

Our first stop on arrival at Holborn was for a coffee at Paul, a chain of French bakers who do very good coffee, fresh bread and sandwiches. Calling it a chain probably doesn’t do it justice, it’s certainly no Starbucks - it is much more than that.

We charged towards (and missed the first time) Lincoln's Field and Sir John Soane's museum -which was also the house he and his family lived . After his death he ensured that his house would become a museum available for anyone to visit in the hope he would inspire and educate "...amateurs and student in painting, architecture and sculpture'.

What we have today is the most incredible collection (that appears to have little order) of Egyptian and classical antiquities, renaissance pieces, 17th and 18th-Century sculpture ,neo-classical sculpture , timepieces, oriental objects, paintings and a whole lot more.

The rooms within the house can be cluttered, spacious, bright and dark. We spent nearly 90 mins in this house in the centre of busy Holborn, an incredible place that must be visited by history, architecture or art buffs - just keep this little gem a secret and not spread this around too much!

After the museum visit we went out for lunch in Soho. We had a reservation at Cote , a French bistro-inspired restaurant which would fill our tummies.

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Photos

Old London Bridge
It was interesting to understand the history of London Bridge as we crossed it today. Here is just one version of the Bridge in its 2000 year old history

The Bank of England
No doubt a busy place over the last month. This building was designed by John Soane. Soane submitted many designs for some grand buildings. I think his design of Parliament House is much more impressive than the structure that we now know so well here in London.

The First Floor Drawing Room
The Drawing Room is painted with Turner's patent yellow, a very popular colour in Soane's day.

In Lincoln's Inn Fields
A worried look? No, just cold! I'm glad the overcoat came with me on this trip. Here in Lincoln's Inn Fields which is the location of the John Soane Museum

Getting in Early
A small queue starts to build outside this interesting Museum.

Lincoln's Inn Fields
My brother Paul, purveyor of great walking tours around London.

The Dining Room
Soane used this room for entertaining guests and was home to many of his 7000 books