A legendary English architect?s obsession with collecting models became a huge part of his legacy

Stepping into the townhouse at 13 Lincoln?s Inn Fields in Central London is akin to stepping into the eccentric mind of an architect?who also happened to be a hoarder. The townhouse was the home of English architect Sir John Soane, a legendary figure from the late 18th and early 19th century, and after an extensive renovation, it reopened last year as a museum, showcasing one of the largest collection of architectural models in the world.
The bricklayer?s son turned professor at the Royal Academy and official architect with the Office of Works shaped neoclassical design and commercial architecture with masterpieces such as the now-gone Bank of England building. His work even inspired the shape of the capital?s iconic red telephone booths (it?s based on the shape of a tomb he designed for his late wife, Eliza).
And his richly appointed townhouse overflows with the kind of rare artworks and elaborate decorations you?d expect from a student and master of the built environment.
But, as fitting his brilliant, obsessive, and eccentric nature?he kept a mummified cat that, along with an alabaster sarcophagus, formed part of his collection of Egyptian antiquities?the home is, most notably, a museum of architecture, filled with thousands of plans and sketches as well as a series of more than 150 custom models Soane commissioned showcasing the wonders of the...