Soane, Sir John
Soane, Sir John (1753–1837). English architect. Following an apprenticeship and successful studies at the Royal Academy, between 1778 and 1780 Soane travelled in Italy on a scholarship awarded by George III. In 1788 he won the competition to design a new Bank of England and remained as surveyor to the Bank until 1833. Of this, his most important work, only some fine interiors remain. Two houses he designed for himself show his mature style; Pitzhanger Manor, Ealing, is now a library, while 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields is the Sir John Soane Museum, containing his collection of antiques and paintings. Dulwich College Art Gallery, another most original design, was destroyed in 1944, but faithfully rebuilt. Less successful than his great rival John Nash, from whom he differed in every respect, Soane was probably a truer interpreter of the period's taste for the classical. He was knighted in 1831.
June Cochrane
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Soane, Sir John