Soane, Sir John (1753-1837), a British architect, was appointed architect to the Bank of England in 1788. During the next 40 years, he rebuilt most of the building, though little of his work survives today. Soane also built Dulwich College Picture Gallery (1811-1814), London, and three fine London churches during the 1820’s. They are St. John, in Bethnal Green; Trinity Church, in Marylebone; and St. Peter’s, in Walworth.
Soane was born on Sept. 10, 1753, in Whitchurch, near Reading, Berkshire. He was knighted in 1832. In 1833, he obtained an Act of Parliament to give his house and art collection in Lincoln’s Inn Fields to the British nation. It is known as Sir John Soane’s Museum. The museum is still open to the public. Its collections include antiquities, paintings, sculpture, architectural drawings and models, timepieces, furniture, and stained glass. Soane died on Jan. 20, 1837.
