Editing Royal Society of Arts (section)

==RSA House==
[[File:8 John Adam Street (geograph 5350323).jpg|thumb|Front façade of the RSA building at 8 John Adam Street in London]]
[[File:London - The Royal Society of Arts.jpg|thumb|right|The RSA building, rear façade (facing the [[Strand, London|Strand]])]]
[[File:Matthew Taylor on the RSA.oga|thumb|Audio description of the building by [[Matthew Taylor (Labour politician)|Matthew Taylor]]]]
The RSA moved to its current home in 1774. The House, situated in John Adam Street, near the [[Strand, London|Strand]] in central London, had been purpose-designed by the Adam Brothers ([[James Adam (architect)|James Adam]] and [[Robert Adam]]) as part of their innovative [[Adelphi, London|Adelphi]] scheme. The original building (6–8 John Adam Street) includes the Great Room, which features a magnificent sequence of paintings by Irish artist [[James Barry (painter)|James Barry]] titled ''The Progress of Human Knowledge and Culture'' and portraits of the society's first and second presidents, painted by [[Thomas Gainsborough]] and [[Joshua Reynolds]] respectively. On the RSA building's rear [[frieze]], the words "The Royal Society of Arts" are displayed (see photograph at right), although its full name is "The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce".

The RSA has expanded into adjacent buildings, and now includes 2 and 4 John Adam Street and 18 Adam Street. The first occupant of 18 Adam Street was the Adelphi Tavern, which is mentioned in [[Charles Dickens|Dickens's]] ''[[The Pickwick Papers]]''. The former private dining room of the Tavern contains a magnificent Adam ceiling with painted roundels by the school of Kauffman and Zucchi.

A major refurbishment in 2012 by Matthew Lloyd Architects won a [[Royal Institute of British Architects|RIBA]] London Award in 2013, and a RIBA [[English Heritage]] Award for Sustaining the Historic Environment, also in 2013.<ref>[http://www.matthewlloyd.co.uk/projects/the-royal-society-of-arts/ The Royal Society of Arts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082108/http://www.matthewlloyd.co.uk/projects/the-royal-society-of-arts/ |date=4 March 2016 }}, Matthew Lloyd Architects. Retrieved 11 January 2016.</ref>