Kristian Mercer

Kristian's Rarefied Regency Tour
Day One: London, Sir John Soane's Museum

Brace yourselves, dear readers! During the next few days I'm going to hit the highlights of my recent trip to England (and one side trip to the Waterloo battlefield) - it was a real whirlwind, so have a seat, grab your cup of tea, and enjoy the sights.

Mr. Mercer and I arrived in London on a Saturday morning, having flown direct from Seattle, and we hit the ground running. You see, I'm a bit of a planner. (Lacey, stop laughing now!) I did a LOT of research for this trip - buying books, visiting websites, and plotting itineraries. I knew exactly when each museum was open, what the visiting hours were, and (most important) whether or not they had a bookstore.

All in the name of research, of course.

Sir John Soane's Museum, it turns out, was only open on one day of our three-day stay in London: Saturday. So Mr. Mercer and I dumped our bags, caught the Tube to the Lincoln's Inn Fields area of London, and emerged - more than a little jet-lagged - on the pavement in front of Soane's brick-and stone-townhouse.

This is me, second from the left, with friends from my junior year abroad - who were kind enough to indulge my obsession for all things Regency. Thanks Angela, Kate, and Marianne! (You can just see the placard for the museum behind us.)

A brief biographical note, before I continue: Sir John Soane (1753-1837) was one of Regency England's great architects. His work epitomized neoclassical design, being distinguished by its "clean lines, massing of simple form, decisive detailing, careful proportions, and skillful use of light sources" (see the Wikipedia article here). Perhaps his most important project was the Bank of England, which influenced commercial architecture for nearly a century after its completion in 1833 .

The museum occupies the site of Soane's house and studio. It was established as a museum by a private Act of Parliament, which required that the property be maintained as closely as possible to its appearance during Soane's life. Compare these illustrations from the Illustrated London News (courtesy of the Wikipedia commons) to excerpts from my journal:

What an amazing, overwhelming, intense place. Soane's house was floor-to-ceiling classical and neoclassical statuary, art, and decorative bric-a-brac. Everything very orderly and organized, but wow, you have to look and look again. There were busts stacked nearly to the ceiling, paintings stored in hinged cupboards that folded from the walls like an accordion, and antiquities everywhere - including an Egyptian sarcophagus in the basement. Fascinating stuff.

(This image is entirely accurate. When we were examining the sarcophagus, we looked up and encountered that statue - complete with fig leaf!)

Couldn't get over the intense colors - especially the almost mustard yellow and vibrant red of the drawing room (or was it the library?). Really made me rethink what was popular for Regency decoration - no ice-cream pastels here. Well, all except for the domed ceiling of the breakfast room, which featured the most beautiful trompe l'oeil trellis in pale greens and blues.

An added bonus was the opportunity to see a supplemental exhibit on amateur architects. We hurried through this part of the museum, but I jotted down a few names - material for future books, perhaps!

Recommended reading: The Soanes at Home, by Susan Palmer

Tomorrow: Spencer House