John Soane

Sir John Soane RA FSA FRS
Portrait painted by Thomas Lawrence
Born	John Soan (1753-09-10)10 September 1753 Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England
Died	20 January 1837(1837-01-20) (aged 83) 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, England
Occupation	Architect
Spouse	Elizabeth Smith ​ ​ (m. 1784; died 1815)​
Children	4
Buildings	Bank of England Dulwich Picture Gallery Pitzhanger Manor 12–14 Lincoln's Inn Fields (now Sir John Soane's Museum)

Sir John Soane RA FSA FRS (/soʊn/; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised 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.

Soane's best-known work was the Bank of England (his work there is largely destroyed), a building which had a widespread effect on commercial architecture. He also designed Dulwich Picture Gallery, which, with its top-lit galleries, was a major influence on the planning of subsequent art galleries and museums. His main legacy is the eponymous museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields in his former home and office, designed to display the art works and architectural artefacts that he collected during his lifetime. The museum is described in the Oxford Dictionary of Architecture as "one of the most complex, intricate, and ingenious series of interiors ever conceived".^[1]