Opening Up The Soane : An Introduction

Thanks to the recent restoration of No.14 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the Museum can now restore an entire 2nd floor of No.13; comprising an ensemble of exquisite and intriguing rooms. These include Soane’s private apartments: bedroom, bathroom, oratory, book passage and Mrs Soane's Morning Room and the Model Room above. Other spaces include the and Shakespeare recesses.

"Opening up the Soane" includes other improvements such as improved 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. Phase 1 will be completed in 2012 and the entire project will be completed by 2014. It is an ambitious and complex project that will make the Soane an even better Museum for all our visitors to enjoy.

How you can help:

This is a particularly exciting time for Opening Up The Soane. Work on phase 1 of the project is due to start on-site in January 2011, and preparations for this are well underway. Equally exciting is that the Museum has obtained £6.1M of its £7M target. Whilst this is an achievement of which we are extremely proud, there is still a significant amount of money to be raised in order reach our goals.

On this page admirers of Soane’s work and visitors to the Museum, be that once years ago or once a week, have the opportunity to make a real difference to the project. Funding is now in place for most of the major structural work, but as always at the Soane, its the smallest details that count.

As you can see from the images on the left the lost Soane interiors which are to be restored as part of OUTS are populated by hundreds of objects. Most of these have not been on display for almost 180 years, and are in need of some attention before they are returned to their rightful places.

The outline below demonstrates how even a modest donation, perhaps on behalf of a loved one, can make a real difference. All donations will be credited in our special commemorative publication Opening Up The Soane, as well as on the Museum’s website.

£100 would pay for the conservation of a frame for one of the 93 pictures which are to be re-displayed in the private apartments.

£150 can fund the cleaning and conservation of one of 80 architectural models

£250 would make it possible to hold a free children’s education workshop

£600 would pay for the re-display of ‘a sping child’ by Sir Francis Chantrey RA

£750 would restore a fine marble specimen table which belonged to Mrs Soane.

£1000 would cover the cost of gilding the reinstated sunburst ceiling in Soane’s Recess.

Donations of any amount are of course gratefully received, so please take this opportunity to help in any way you can.