Royal Academy including Burlington House and Galleries and Royal Academy Schools Buildings

The Royal Academy including Burlington House and Galleries and Royal Academy Schools Buildings originated as a mansion house and later became the Royal Academy of Arts. Built after 1660 for Sir John Denham and completed in 1668, probably by Hugh May for the First Earl of Burlington, the building has undergone numerous transformations over three and a half centuries.

Between 1708 and 1715, James Gibbs remodelled the house for the widow of the Second Earl of Burlington, adding courtyard buildings and a screen which were later demolished. From 1715 to 1722, Colen Campbell carried out refronting and interior remodelling for the Third Earl of Burlington, including a triumphal arch which has since been demolished. Later in the 18th century, John Carr undertook interior work and extensions for the Duke of Portland. Between 1815 and 1818, Samuel Ware remodelled and extended the building for Lord George Cavendish.

In 1854 the Government purchased the property. From 1867 to 1870, Sydney Smirke added the Main Galleries and Schools for the Royal Academy of Arts, followed by the Diploma Galleries and portico arcade in 1872, and the Keeper's House in 1874. E.M. Barry carried out interior alterations in 1876. Between 1880 and 1885, R. Norman Shaw made extensions and modifications. T.G. Jackson designed the Entrance Hall in 1899 to 1900. Curtis Green added a Library in 1927, and H.T. Cadbury-Brown designed another Library in 1985 to 1986. The Sackler Galleries and other works by Norman Foster date from 1989 to 1991.

Historical note: In the early 20th century, the building became the focus of protests by suffragettes from the Women's Social and Political Union, the militant suffrage organisation founded in Manchester in 1903. In 1913, WSPU members began attacking art galleries and museums in Britain. On 3 June 1913, suffragettes carrying flags and banners marched into the Royal Academy and attempted to hold an impromptu meeting in one of the galleries before police removed them. The following week there was an unsuccessful arson attempt, thought to be the work of suffragettes. On 4 May 1914, several pictures were damaged in separate attacks: Mary Aldham used a butcher's cleaver to slash Sargent's portrait of Henry James in Gallery No 3, and Gertrude Ansell caused similar damage to a painting of the Duke of Wellington by von Herkomer. Ten days later, Maude Kate Smith damaged Clausen's Primavera. These attacks prompted galleries to close to the public for a short time, and when they reopened, women were stopped from taking in bags, umbrellas and muffs.

The house is built of brick, Portland stone, and stucco lined as ashlar. The galleries are stock brick, red brick and stone dressings.

The exterior is symmetrical in seven bays with flanking wings set forward. There are three storeys and basements, with a rusticated ground floor and ashlar principal storey and attic storey. The flanking two storey bays are treated in the same way as the main elevation. At the centre are three square headed doorways with pronounced but plain keystones, flanking sashes in similar openings. In front is a seven bay rusticated arcade with mask keystones to each opening, carrying a balustraded parapet with a central panel inscribed: Royal Academy of Arts.

A three bay canopy on double brackets has a seated figure in relief to each flank. There are square headed sashes under mask keystones to the flanking wings. The principal storey has an engaged Ionic order under a modillion cornice; the base is a continuous storey band. There are sash windows in moulded architraves under alternating triangular and segmental pediments on brackets. There is an Ionic pilaster order to the flanking wings, between which is a Palladian window, and segmental pedimented alcoves to the single bay inner returns. The upper storey, added in 1872 to 1874, has an engaged Corinthian order of columns in pink granite, under a deep dentil cornice. There is a seven bay arcade of round arched alcoves with raised mask keystones, continuous moulded impost band and cill band, with similarly treated inner return bays. The alcoves display statues of artists: Phidias, Leonardo da Vinci, Flaxman, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, Reynolds, Wren and William of Wykeham, by H. Weekes, W. Calder Marshall, E. Stephens and J. Durham. There is a pilaster order to the flanking wings, each with a Palladian loggia in pink granite, and to the right with a rear sash window in moulded architrave. The elevation terminates with a balustraded parapet.

The rear elevation, built in 1815 and altered to harmonize with the south elevation, has been restored. It has a rusticated ground floor and upper storeys lined as ashlar. There is a first floor tripartite balustraded window between Ionic pilasters, under a segmental pediment with pulvinated frieze. There are sashes under alternating triangular and segmental pediments. The upper floor has near square sashes with glazing bars in moulded architraves.

The entrance hall has seven bays with a double marble Doric screen to the stairs. There are round arched recesses with enriched soffits between Doric pilasters, and opposing enriched doorcases with raised and fielded panel doors, and a central south doorcase. Corinthian columns support a rich entablature above an altered Greek key frieze. There are double depth panelled linings and shutter boxes to windows. The plaster ceiling by Jackson has enriched relief panels.

The stone staircase has cantilevered upper flights, scrolled soffits, a cast iron balustrade of wreathed, foliate scrolled panels and a mahogany ramped rail. The lower flight is by Barry reusing Ware's components, the upper flight is by Ware, and the flight to galleries is by Smirke. There are enriched eared wall panels for Ricci canvasses. A plaster ceiling has a central rondel in a rectangular frame, with alternating acanthus and rosette mouldings, and a Ricci canvas. There is a Corinthian screen of red marble columns, with acanthus frieze to the north and bay leaf soffit, the flanking niches with statuary. A monumental marble arch provides entrance to the galleries. The south landing has enriched doorcases each with ogee bay leaf frieze and dentil cornice, that to centre with panelled linings. There are raised and fielded enriched panelled doors, that to centre is two leaved, some have Ware door furniture. Corresponding skirting mouldings are by Ware.

The Reynolds Room, formerly a ballroom, is by Ware. There is a pair of doorways, each in moulded architraves with ogee foliate frieze, and tall enriched dentil cornice. An Ionic marble chimneypiece has vertically banded columns imitating fluting and a steel grate. The ceiling is deeply enriched, coved and coffered with sunk enriched panels to coving, moulded ribs, central rosettes carrying chandeliers, enriched rinceau frieze, and modillion cornice. The skirtings are also enriched.

The Council Room is by Ware, created from an original stairwell. It has an enriched modillion cornice and coved ceiling with Ricci panel. There are enriched doorcases, some with panelled linings, ogee and pulvinated friezes and dentil cornices; those to the enfilade are probably by Campbell. Similar door mouldings appear on the window linings. The marble chimneypiece is 18th century from Somerset House, by Joseph Wilton, R.A., and the grate is steel.

The Saloon, extant by 1715, is largely by Campbell, modified by Carr and Ware. It is of three bays, with windows having raised and fielded enriched moulded reveals, alternating with pedimented eared architraved pier glass panels, set forward on a moulded plinth. There are four opposing pedimented doorcases with reclining putto to each face, eared architraves, and pulvinated scaled frieze, the mouldings richer than the pier glasses. A central pedimented Corinthian doorcase has a bay leaf frieze, embellished bead mouldings, and a pair of enriched raised and fielded doors. Picture panels, formerly for Pellegrini paintings, now blank, are each in richly moulded eared architraves under scrolled swan neck pediments flanking a central shell, carrying oak leaf swags, with lateral husked garlands and acanthus scrolled base carrying oak leaf garlands. The ceiling is coved; a central panel is probably by Kent, with a pulvinated frieze with enriched modillion cornice. There are plain and enriched skirtings.

The Secretary's Room, by Campbell and Ware, has enriched doorcases each with pulvinated bay leaf frieze, dentil cornice, and raised and fielded panelled doors; that to north has an enriched ogee frieze and modillion cornice with Ware door furniture. There is a flat panelled ceiling with enriched guilloche mouldings and a panel painted on plaster, probably by Kent. A white marble Ionic chimneypiece has a steel and brass grate. There is enriched skirting.

The General Assembly Room, formerly the State Dining Room, is by Campbell, remodelled by Ware and altered by Shaw. A screen of engaged Ionic fluted columns flanks a round arched architrave with plain spandrel and a pair of raised and fielded mahogany doors. There are pilasters at the corners of the room and inserted cherrywood cabinets, moulded dado rail, grey marble chimneypiece, coved plaster ceiling with robust brackets at the angles, painted ceiling panels with moulded ribs, and an anthemion frieze with a dentil cornice.

A barrel vaulted corridor, probably by Shaw, has pulvinated bay leaf ribs, moulded doorcases and raised and fielded panelled doors. An office to the north has a marble chimneypiece with pulvinated panels and enriched skirting.

The west staircase is by Shaw. The south landing doorcases each have eared architrave and pulvinated frieze; those to east and west are in panelled linings, that to south is pedimented. The doors are raised and fielded panelled mahogany. There is a gallery screen of Ionic marble columns, wrought iron foliate balustrade, and coved ceiling with bay leaf panel. The stairwell ceiling is a shallow coffered barrel vault over a modillion cornice. The stone open well stair has a bowed half landing and iron balustrade, part vase panels, part foliate as at the upper gallery.

The members' W.C. has a fine range of three blue and white 19th century ceramic bowls, and a 19th century W.C. in a mahogany case.

The Friends' Room, formerly library, was closed for refurbishment in 1970.

The Refreshment Room, now restaurant, is by Shaw. This is of three bays and two bays, with a central arcade. Arches with panelled linings frame three Palladian windows flanked by fluted Ionic pilasters. A pair of south windows are similarly treated. There is a panelled dado and decorated spandrels: Spring Driving Away Winter, 1902 by Fred Appleyard; Autumn 1898 by Harold Speed; and the north wall: Burlington House Interior-Exterior, 1985 to 1986 by Leonard Rosoman.

The Main Galleries to the rear are a series of toplit galleries arranged in Beaux Arts manner, radiating from a central octagon based on the rotunda of Museo Pio-Clementi at the Vatican, 1769 to 1774 by Simonetti. Gallery IX was rebuilt by Aston Webb after bomb damage in 1917, and the Lecture Room was restored after a fire in 1997.

The Weston Rooms, formerly South Rooms, and Architecture Room, are by Shaw. The octagon is under a glazed dome of fishscale panes. There are vine leaf ribs to the spandrels and four opposing polished stone round arched openings, with scroll keystones and polished stone paterae. Each face of the wall has a sunk hemispheric niche with a bust. The galleries are linked by monumental oak doorcases, some pedimented, some with sliding doors. There are enriched coved ceilings, toplit, with rib mouldings, variously oak leaf, vine leaf, maple leaf, and floral and fruit trails, some with an enriched frieze. Gallery III has four bays, an enriched frieze and cornice on angel corbels, maple leaf ribs to the coved ceiling, and pedimented oak doorcases. The Weston Rooms, comprising large and small south rooms, have two-leaf mahogany doors in eared architraves with pulvinated friezes; those connecting galleries have sliding doors. There is a coved ceiling with low relief geometric plaster panels. The Architecture Room has paired mahogany doors, some with paterae, panelled coving, and laurel leaf moulded ribs.

The Schools are in the basement and to rear, and include the Cast Corridor by Smirke, 1860s, to house George III's cast sculpture collection.

This list entry was amended in 2018 as part of the centenary commemorations of the 1918 Representation of the People Act.