Burlington House
OK, so you’ve done your West End shopping, now what?
Well on Piccadilly, Burlington House is worth a visit, with the added bonus of seeing the Royal Academy’s latest exhibition(s).
Originally a private mansion of the Earls of Burlington, it was significantly expanded in the mid-19th century after being purchased by the British government. Today, the Royal Academy and five learned societies occupy much of the building round its courtyard.
Except for the Royal Academy, the premises of the other institutions are not normally open to the public. However every year over a weekend in September Open House arranges for many such buildings to be freely open to the general public. If you can, don’t miss this marvellous annual opportunity!
The two photographs below show the Courtyard, looking South (Piccadilly is through the arch) and North with the Royal Academy advertising an exhibition.
This is the Courtyard reflected in an Anish Kapoor installation.
The Royal Academy holds exhibitions throughout the year, but is probably best known for its Summer Exhibition. The Summer Exhibition is the largest and most popular open exhibition in the UK. Apparently it is the longest continuously staged exhibition of contemporary art in the world”.
Within the RA, one room most people miss is the Reynolds Room. Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace presented their Origin of The Species by Natural Selection papers to the Linnean Society on 1st July 1858 in the Reynolds Room of the Royal Academy, which was where the Linnean Society used to meet, prior to moving to their current premises. I wonder how many people sitting in that room that evening realised the impact of what they were listening to.
Each of the Societies has on the first floor a double height formal Library.
The Linnean Society is the world’s oldest active biological society, named after Carl Linnaeus who founded the binomial naming system for all plants & animals. He is responsible for calling us all, Homo Sapiens.
Learned Societies each has a main Meeting Room on the ground floor where Members present their papers.
If these institutions have whetted your appetite for the sciences, The Royal Institution is just 5 minutes away, off Piccadilly.
This quaint, wooden Victorian Letter box is still in use in the entrance archway into the Courtyard.
This Public Telephone Kiosk, K2, is almost hidden behind the entrance gates on to Piccadilly from the courtyard.
