Sir John Soames Museum

Address 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3BP

Telephone 020 7405 2107

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Located at 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, the former residence of Sir John Soane, is the Sir John Soane Museum. Sir John Soane was appointed Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy in 1806 Soane began to collect books, casts and models at his house for students to visit the day before and after each of his lectures. The collection grew rapidly and in 1827 John Britton described the collection as an "Academy of Architecture".

Soane himself negotiated an act of Parliament in 1833 for his collection to be preserved for the benefit of students of architecture. Soane died in 1833, the act was passed and the property became the responsibility of a board of trustees. One of the stipulations entrusted to the board was that the collection be maintained as close to the state he had left it as possible. Over the centuries the collection has changed little, though several restorations of the collection have been made.

Among the collection in the Sir John Soane Museum are an exhibition of Egyptian and classical antiques, Neo-classical sculptures and a collection of architectural building materials- as well as many other varied and fascinating exhibits. Admission to the collections are free though a guided tour takes place once a week for a small fee which is used in the upkeep of the collection.

For more information and visiting info visit the official site: Sir John Soames Museum

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