On May 11 Sir John Soane’s Museum celebrated the restoration and public opening of Soane’s Drawing Office. The Office is the oldest surviving example of its kind and was the creative heart of Sir John Soane’s home on Lincoln's Inn Fields. Here, his draughtsmen and pupils worked on his architectural projects, inspired by his extensive collection.
Image credit: Copyright SJSM. Photo: Gareth Gardner
The Drawing Office is a central part of Soane’s own legacy, where he supported the next generation of architectural talent. After a year of intricate restoration work the Drawing Office has opened to the public for the first time in 200 years!
Image credit: Copyright SJSM
In the summer of 2023, Sir John Soane’s Museum and Luke Irwin will present a fourth season of By Design, a public talk series in which leading designers discuss their practice, through the lens of a single object. Co-hosted by Will Gompertz, the Barbican Centre's Artistic Director, and Alice Rawsthorn, award-winning design critic and author, we reflect on the power of objects – large or small, mundane or exceptional, aesthetic or utilitarian – to spark new ideas and act as a spur for different forms of creativity.
Image credit: Copyright SJSM
Finally, on 26 May the Soane will host a special Soane Late in collaboration with Portobello Road Gin which will delve deeper into the stories behind the Museum, whilst exploring London’s legendary, if complex, relationship with Gin. There’ll be talks and tastings throughout the evening, a chance to view Soane’s own copy of ‘Gin Lane’, as well as spotlight talks about Hogarth’s most celebrated moral series ‘A Rake’s Progress’, in our unforgettable Picture Room.