Demolished parts of the Bank of England have been brought back to life in virtual reality nearly a century after their destruction.
Anyone with an Apple or Android smartphone or even the cheapest Google Cardboard VR headset can step back in time later this year to admire the work of one of Britain’s greatest architects, Sir John Soane.
Most of Sir John’s Bank buildings were demolished in the early 20th century to make way for 4,000 staff and bigger buildings that now stand on the 3.5-acre site in Threadneedle Street.
Tech giant HP sponsored a comp- etition called Project Soane to “digitally reconstruct” original parts of the Bank.
The winners’ VR experience will be unveiled today after architects and designers from Russia to Australia competed to render original blueprints into 3D images using powerful software.Virtual visitors will be able to explore parts of the Bank including the stock office, console transfer office and Tivoli Corner, a spherical enclosure on the corner of Princes Street and Lothbury.
Sir John Soane was appointed as the bank’s architect in 1788 and spent 45 years working on it until his retirement.
The structure of his Bank of England remained until it was demolished and a new building created by architect Herbert Baker between 1925 and 1939.
It is still surrounded by Sir John’s original windowless, “defensive and imposing” wall.
Jennifer Adam, head curator at the Bank of England Museum, said the project is “really exciting” and added: “This enables us to walk through Sir John Soane’s Bank of England, give us a new perspective and see the space and light he created.”
