It was ever Soane

SIR JOHN SOANE’S country house in Ealing, Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, will reopen to the public in March after an extensive three-year conservation and restoration project. The aim has been to restore the Regency manor, built in 1800–04, to Soane’s original design and to reunite Pitzhanger with its former parkland, the recently renovated Walpole Park. The transformation is led by architects Jestico + Whiles, with the support of heritage expert Julian Harrap Architects.

Every part of the building will be open to the public, with the addition of a restaurant within the walled kitchen garden, and a new show by Anish Kapoor will launch the adjacent Pitzhanger Gallery’s exhibitions programme. Visit www.pitzhanger.org.uk for details.

‘We are delighted to reveal, for the first time in more than 150 years, Pitzhanger as designed by Soane, bringing this building back to life,’ says Clare Gough, director of the Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery Trust. Holly Kirkwood