Sir John Soane, Architect

Sir John Soane (1753-1837) has come to be regarded as one of the great architects of late 18th and early 19th century Europe, and contemporary architects and designers are becoming increasingly influenced by the subtleties of the unique 'Soane style'. Dorothy Stroud's classic book, which is appearing in paperback for the first time, in an updated second edition, is the culmination of a lifetime's research. It brings together all the threads in her previous writings on Soane, combining a concise biography of the architect with a comprehensive and fully illustrated survey of his works. After studying in Italy, Soane built up a considerable private practice and a reputation that secured his appointment in 1788 as architect to the Bank of England, where over a period of forty-five years he designed a vast complex of courts and offices. With his appointment to the Office of Works in 1815, he became responsible for public buildings in Whitehall and Westminster, which entailed the designing of a Royal entrance and gallery in the House of Lords, new Law Courts, Privy Council Offices and a State Paper Office. As professor of architecture at the Royal Academy from 1806, he was to play a leading role in the improvement of architectural education in Britain; and he was active in the founding of what is now the Royal Institute of British Architects. Although much of his work was thoughtlessly destroyed towards the end of the 19th century, a substantial number of buildings and parts of buildings survive, especially outside London, as a testimony to his genius

Table of Contents:
Part 1 The Soane story: " a good boy learns..."; a travelling student; setting up a practice; "form, if you can, a style of your own"; the Pitzhanger dream; family troubles; the last decades. Part 2 The architectural works of Sir John Soane: major commissions -early works 1781-1792, the middle period 1792-1820, late works 1820-1833; list of works; drawings exhibited at the Royal Academy.

About the Author :
Dorothy Stroud was an expert on 18th and early 19th century architecture, and in particular on Soane, and was Assistant Curator of the famous Sir John Soane's Museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields for many years: this house contains his priceless collection of works of art, books and architectural drawings. She wrote a number of other books including Capability Brown; George Dance, Architect, 1741-1825; Humphry Repton; and Henry Holland, His Life and Architecture.

Review :
'An important and welcome book on a great architect, on whom no comprehensive monograph has recently been published...Of [the latest] fruits of Soanean scholarship, Stroud's book is by far the best.' Burlington Magazine 'An invaluable reference work' Colin Amery in the Financial Times 'Handsomely illustrated and scrupulously researched, this classic work reveals the energy and versatility of our finest architect after Wren.' Independent on the second edition '...a splendid new revised paperback edition of Dorothy Stroud's Sir John Soane, Architect...This must stand as the definitive study of the famous architect's life and works.' Contemporary Review on the second edition