SIR JOHN SOANE & BANK OF ENGLAND STORY

Sir John Soane

Sir John Soane (1753 –1837) was an English architect who specialized in the Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor of architecture at the Royal Academy and an official architect to the Office of Works. He received a knighthood in 1831.

On 16 October 1788 Soane was appointed architect and surveyor to the Bank of England, where his work would continue for the next 45 years. During his tenure, Soane rebuilt much of the bank, and vastly extended it.

Sir John Soane’s Bank of England

Sir John’s Soane’s contributions to the Bank of England were destroyed in the 1920s to make way for renovations, in what is considered by some architectural historians to be one of modern architectural history’s greatest losses.

Today, the memory of Soane’s Bank of England is revered by architects worldwide for its spectacular use of natural light and mesmerizing effects of scale.

To learn more about Sir John Soane and his Bank for England, please visit Sir John Soane’s Museum: www.soane.org