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Sir John Soane and the Country Estate

By (author) Ptolemy Dean

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First published in 1999, this volume examines Sir John Soane (1753-1837) who was one of Britainâ€™s most inventive architects. His achievements include the Bank of England and the worldâ€™s first picture gallery at Dulwich, buildings of international importance. His country estate work, inspired by classical antiquity, ranges in scale from the remodelling of existing country houses, such as Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire and Aynhoe Park in Northamptonshire, to simple outbuildings. Here we see the emergence of the key themes of his style and the results of his precise attention to proportion, design detail, and light and shade. These are among Soaneâ€™s finest works. Making full use of the Soane Museum and country house archives, Ptolemy Dean here examines ten country house projects, reconstructing the creative transactions between client and architect, architect and skilled craftsman. It is impossible to understand Soaneâ€™s intentions without the drawings, sketches and letters which enable us to trace the process of design. With the authorâ€™s own drawings in watercolour to illustrate Soaneâ€™s use of light and space, and beautiful photographs by Martin Charles, Sir John Soane and the Country Estate offers an enthralling insight into the work of a great architect. An illustrated inventory, the first fully researched guide to Soaneâ€™s country house practice, details an architectural legacy that has rarely been matched.