1772

For the most part, architectural history in Britain is the story of gradual change and evolution, of long term trends that give meaning to events as they unfold, even moments of apparent crescendo and climax. From time to time, however, there comes a tipping point when old certainties are overturned, new ideas break free and the clock of history is reset: we call this a Year Zero. This series of essays invites writers, critics, historians and architects to identify and reflect on a single Year Zero – when the trajectories of architectural and broader history connect and coincide and the status quo is changed forever.


Frances Sands, Curator of Drawings and Books at Sir John Soane’s Museum, explores the impact of the financial crisis of 1772 on the work and life of one of the era's finest architects.