The legacy Sir John Soane and his Museum

EXASPERATED and despairing at the provocative behaviour of his sons, Sir John Soane (1753-1837) decided towards the end of his life to make the British public his heir. His eldest son, John-whom he had hoped would follow him as an architect, but who had no interest in the profession -had died in 1823 and he had become estranged from his younger son George.

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After George had emerged from prison for debt and embezzlement, two anonymous articles were published in The Champion (1815) damning the state of English architecture and viciously attacking Soane. Eliza, Sir John Soane's confidante, ally and wife of 31 years exclaimed: 'These are George's doings ―he has given me my death blowI shall never hold my head up again." Six weeks later, she was dead.