This opulent illustration in a Book of Hours, a form of lavish prayer book, shows the construction of the Tower of Babel. The image mirrors the progress drawings which Soane instructed his apprentices to make of his own buildings. These types of drawings honed an apprentice’s understanding of building practice and reinforced the importance of drawing to their profession. This Book of Hours shows how Soane was inspired by a wide variety of architectural drawings, even biblical ones. The presence of the colourfully dressed figures, wearing an imagined mixture of Flemish, Italian and ‘exotic’ costumes, prefigure the inclusion of staffage – figures populating the scene – in 18th-century architectural drawings.

What would it look like if I built my house in the shape of my own initials? This was the question which provoked the architect John Thorpe to create this design. I and J were different forms of the same letter at this time, hence the shape of the first initial. Thorpe connects the initials to create one building. This drawing is an example of the imagination and playfulness of architects throughout history. This volume is widely considered to be the most important collection of drawings to survive from the Elizabethan or Jacobean era and is one of only two such collections of drawings from this period in existence. It contains 295 drawings ranging primarily from the 1590s to the 1620s, including Thorpe’s own designs and survey drawings of pre-existing and significant buildings, probably to aid discussions with clients.

The Monk’s Parlour was Soane’s nod to the romantic interest in ruins or ‘ruin-mania’ that had been popular in Britain in the 18th century. It is a room in the basement of Soane’s home (now Sir John Soane’s Museum) decorated with Gothic fragments, casts and a recycled Gothic arcade from the medieval Palace of Westminster as well as stained glass. Soane created a backstory for the room. It had been the home of a monk named Padre Giovanni, who had died, and whose tomb could now be seen in the courtyard outside. Padre Giovanni (Father John in English) was a fictional alter-ego for Soane and, in reality, his tomb contained the remains of Mrs Soane’s dog, Fanny.

Soane’s design is infused with fantasy, like a Gothic novel come to life. This image was created by John Britton in 1825 for the first guidebook to Sir John Soane’s Museum, one of many to be produced over the next two centuries. The Monk’s Parlour can still be visited today at Sir John Soane’s Museum, which remains a testament to Soane’s enduring architectural significance.