Sir John Soames Museum visit.

23rd November 2009.

I visited the John Soames Museum in Holborn recently, and what a delight it was. There were intriguing ‘nooks and crannies’ filled with neat and ordered objects and incredible artifacts, wonderfully placed all over this truly inspiring and beautiful house. Sir John Soames spent his life collecting artifacts from all over the globe, choosing and hoarding so many special and often ancient items. This is one of the most intimate museums I have visited and there is a very personal feel to the place, as if you have been invited in to experience some of the worlds history, and I really felt absorbed by the sheer amount that has been collected by one person. I read that Soames’ aim was to use his house as a place where ‘amateurs and students’ could come and ‘consult, inspect and benefit’ form his collections. This is certainly what I did. The sculptures and castings were particularly fascinating for me, maybe it was the symmetrical manor in which they were displayed, or the grand ‘hall’ they were given. Whichever, they were captivating, I wanted to know more, about the makers, about where they had come from, and to truly appreciate them being here in front of me.