Tomb Of Sir John Soane, His Wife And Son In St Pancras Old Church Gardens

The tomb of Sir John Soane, his wife, and son is located in St Pancras Old Church Gardens. It was erected in 1816 and designed by Sir John Soane in memory of his wife, who passed away in 1815. The tomb is made of Portland stone and has a rectangular plan. It features a central domed structure supported by four panelled piers with ornamented capitals, which covers a pedimented structure on four Ionic columns, showcasing a decorative style unique to Soane. Each side of the tomb is filled with an inscribed slab.

Surrounding the central structure is a balustraded enclosure that extends to the north, south, and east, with a staircase approach leading down at the west end to a sealed basement vault. The dome has open spandrels adorned with wavy line ornamentation and is topped by a small drum banded by a snake with its tail in its mouth, which is surmounted by a pineapple. The balustraded enclosure includes panelled dies at the ends and corners, topped with stele, and features weepers in niches and a triple stele that are part of the central monument. Some of the original stone balusters have been replaced with terracotta.

Historically, the design of the central domed structure influenced Giles Gilbert Scott's design of the K2 telephone box and subsequent telephone boxes.