John Soane’s First House Is For Sale

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The client, in a circa 1780 Wedgewood and Bentley jasperware med… Read More The client, in a circa 1780 Wedgewood and Bentley jasperware medallion

Knight Frank

The entrance front

Knight Frank

The stables

Knight Frank

The second-floor drawing room

BBC

“Portrait of a Young Artist,” namely John Soane, painted by … Read More “Portrait of a Young Artist,” namely John Soane, painted by Christopher William Hünnemann in 1776

A bricklayer’s son, John Soane apprenticed with Henry Holland and George Dance the Younger before getting his big break: a £180 travel scholarship for a bridge design he exhibited at the Royal Academy. The trip to Italy served Soane well, exposing him to new architecture and potential clients. In 1783, the prime minister’s brother, architectural dilettante Lord Camelford, asked Soane to renovate a country house in Norfolk, Burnham Westgate Hall. The job gave Soane his first crack at the building type.

As currently configured, the house has 13 bedrooms and 12 baths, and it sits on a 38-acre property. The asking price: $10.1 million.