I have a veritable lack of memory, so when I do remember something it is worth noting. Sir John Soane’s house is a place I have never forgotten. I must have learned about it in architecture history class. And on this second visit after easily more than 25 years here is why I still believe its an institution to visit in London: 1) the house has not changed per the private act that this guy passed and continues to be free 2) the location of this house is part of the Lincoln’s Inn historical area – of which the Ashworth Centre which left me awestruck. In London it’s not uncommon to feel suddenly transported from one era to another, but none had done so in such a dramatic way as my mind leading my feet on a path that just seemed “interesting” ending up in Lincoln’s Inn – always take the alley and never the main road.
Notes from Gemini:
Lincoln’s Inn is one of London’s four Inns of Court—the historic professional associations where barristers have been trained and housed since the medieval era.
- Medieval Roots: The Inn has continuous written records dating back to 1422, making its archives the oldest of the four Inns. The land was originally rented from the Bishops of Chichester before the lawyers bought the freehold in 1580.Lincoln’s Inn+ 1
- The Fields (A Rough Past): West of the Inn lay “Lincoln’s Inn Fields,” which in the Middle Ages was just open pasture land. Far from being a peaceful park, it was historically a place of public executions (including conspirators of the Babington Plot in 1586) and a crime-ridden common where thieves and beggars gathered.Jane Austen’s London+ 1
- The Lawyers vs. The Developers: In the early 17th century, property developers wanted to build over the entire green space. The powerful lawyers of Lincoln’s Inn used their legal and political clout to block this, eventually agreeing to a compromise in the 1630s: houses could be built around the perimeter, but the central fields had to remain open and unbuilt “for ever”. This created London’s largest public square.Jane Austen’s London+ 2
By the late 18th century, Lincoln’s Inn Fields had become a highly fashionable, aristocratic address. This is where Sir John Soane (1753–1837)—the son of a bricklayer who rose to become the Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy—decided to make his home.
Soane didn’t just live here; he used these buildings as a creative playground. He constantly knocked down walls, installed experimental skylights, and packed every square inch with an overwhelming collection of art and antiquities.
Soane had a bitter, lifelong feud with his surviving son, George. Knowing that his son would inherit and likely sell off his life’s work, Soane did something extraordinary: he campaigned for and successfully passed a private Act of Parliament in 1833.
The Act stipulated that upon his death, his home and collections at 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields would be preserved exactly as he left them, free and open for the benefit of “amateurs and students”. Because of this legal maneuver, when you step into Sir John Soane’s Museum today, you are stepping into a perfectly preserved, 19th-century time capsule.
Address: 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BP, United Kingdom
Website: soane.org write up
