Joseph Banks house Soho Square 

‘The long-serving and world-famous President of the Royal Society was seated in a comfortable chair. It had bookshelves from floor to ceiling, a ladder with which to reach them and a spread of illustrated books on the table. The walls had paintings of the South Pacific by the two artists Banks had taken with him on his voyage in The Endeavour, captained by James Cook.’ This is a quote from The Claudians: gardens, landscapes, reason and faith: John Claudius Loudon and Claudius Buchanan, Tom Turner (Kindle, 2024).

In her Life of John Claudius Loudon, Jane Loudon wrote of the period after his arrival in London (in 1803) that 'About this time he appears to have become a member of the Linnean Society, probably through the interest of Sir Joseph Banks, to whom he had brought a letter of introduction, and who, till his death in 1820, continued his warm friend. At the house of Sir Joseph Banks Mr. Loudon met most of the eminent scientific men of that day, and the effect produced by their conversation on his active mind may be traced in his Journal.'

The planting in Soho Square in the painting merits the criticism Loudon made of London Squares in his first published article (also in 1803). Labeling the plants that now frow in Soho Square would be a fitting memorial to Sir Joseph Banks and to John Claudius Loudon.

More about Joseph Banks (1743 – 1820) 

Banks lived No, 30 Soho Square (now number 32) from 1777 until his death in 1820. This house also functioned as his office and as a base for his scientific activities. The house had an extensive library, herbarium, and collection of natural history specimens. Many prominent scientists and intellectuals met here. The building, in the south-west corner of the square in which he lived does not survive but there is a blue plaque on the building.

Joseph Banks was widely considered one of the great men of his age. His contributions to science, exploration, and botany were immense, and he was a prominent figure in British society. Visiting his house, with a letter of introduction from Dr Coventry, was an honour for John Claudius Loudon and a notable help to his career. Banks was friends with many famous people of his time, including: James Cook (with whom Banks sailed on his voyage to the Pacific Ocean aboard the HMS Endeavour), Carl Linnaeus, William Herschel, Humphrey Davy and William Wilberforce.