Pride Month 2023

In celebration of Pride month, a special Soane Late focusing on objects in Sir John Soane’s extensive and eclectic collection with an LGBTQ+ connection.

Our guides have uncovered fascinating hidden histories relating to queer lives and identities, from the rumours about Soane’s own grandson Frederick to a bust of Sappho which sits in the Library Dining Room, as well as objects purchased by Soane from the notorious William Beckford – the one-time wealthiest man in England, described by his biographer as ‘the most scandalous connoisseur of hedonism in the modern world’. A Molly Spoon Salon with  Lady Pineapple Mary taught visitors about the history of Molly Houses – 18th and 19th century queer meeting spaces – while they crafted a spoon doll of your ideal self.

There was also a performance from Arkem in the South Drawing Room.