In Focus is a series of lunchtime talks with Sir John Soane’s Museum curators and conservators in which they select an item from Soane’s vast and eclectic collection for an in-depth investigation.

2024 marks the bicentenary of the building of John Soane’s Picture Room behind No. 14 Lincoln’s Inn Fields – one of the most extraordinary spaces in London. In this talk, Helen Dorey, Deputy Director and Inspectress, will discuss the origins of its design, highlights of the collection and the history of the room since Soane’s lifetime, culminating with the restoration of Soane’s original hang representing the ‘union of the arts’.

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About the Speaker

Regarded as one of the leading scholars of Sir John Soane, Helen Dorey joined the Museum in 1986 and has been its Inspectress since 1995. She has published extensively on the Museum and its collections and has led numerous restoration projects within the Museum over 30 years, including the restoration of Soane’s private apartments. She is a member of the Council of the Attingham Trust, the National Trust’s Collections and Interpretation Panel and the Advisory Council of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. She was awarded an MBE in 2017 for services to heritage.

Image: Celia Rogge