Other

Soane's Tomb

Erection date: 1816

This beautiful and sombre monument incorporates Soane's favourite emblems of Creativity and Eternity, the pineapple and ouroboros (a serpent swallowing its own tail).

A modern information board reads:
This grade I listed mausoleum, designed by Sir John Soane was erected in 1816 following his wife's death in 1815 and entombs his wife and son as well as himself.

The "outstandingly interesting monument. . . . Extremely Soanesque with all his originality and all his foibles" (Nikolaus Pevsner) bears testimony to the importance of the structure. The central marble cube has four faces for dedicatory inscriptions, enclosed by a marble canopy supported on four Ionic columns. Enclosing this central structure is a stone balustrade with a flight of steps down into the vault itself. The understated classicism of the design is widely seen as one of Soane's most inventive creations and the central domed structure influenced Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's design of the K2; and subsequent telephone kiosks. It is one of only two Grade I listed monuments in London (the other being Karl Marx's tomb in Highgate). Following vandalism in 1869 it was suggested that it should be relocated to the safety of Lincoln's Inn Fields. It was restored in 1996 by the Soane Monuments Trust and following further vandalism, restoration was carried out in 2000 - 01 as part of the London Borough of Camden's major restoration of St. Pancras Gardens, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Site: Soane's Tomb (1 memorial)

NW1, Pancras Road, St Pancras Gardens

For a professional assessment of this architectural gem we direct you to English Buildings.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Soane's Tomb

Subjects commemorated i

Elizabeth Soane

Sir John Soane's wife.

Read More

Sir John Soane, R.A. F.R.S.

Architect and collector. Born in Goring-on-Thames, son of a bricklayer. Archi...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Soane's Tomb

Created by i

Sir John Soane, R.A. F.R.S.

Architect and collector. Born in Goring-on-Thames, son of a bricklayer. Archi...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Henry Hicks

Henry Hicks

N7, Roman Way

The small building with the mural is UK Power Network's Wheelwright Street sub-station, with Pentonville Prison behind.

1 subject commemorated
Sloane tomb

Sloane tomb

SW3, Cheyne Walk, 64, Chelsea Old Church

To the memory of Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. President of the Royal Society and of the College of Physicians who in the year of our lord 1753 ...

3 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Penton Estate

Penton Estate

N1, Risinghill Street

The plaque hints that the disembodied red Corinthian capital was salvaged from the Penton Estate Office, of which we can find no image. O...

2 subjects commemorated
Richard Everitt - bench

Richard Everitt - bench

NW1, Purchese Street, Purchese Street Open Space

This open space was reduced in size in 2020-22 to allow the construction of a building on the Purchese Street/Brill Place corner.  The re...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
St Benedict's Hospital - turret + portico

St Benedict's Hospital - turret + portico

SW17, Limetree Walk

This reminds us of that scene at the end of Planet of the Apes.

1 subject commemorated