A Guide to Weddings and Events at London’s Royal Society of Arts (RSA)

I photographed my first wedding at The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) back in 2012 when I first was starting my photography career.  Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of returning to the RSA for weddings and corporate events many times, and have even been a recommended supplier there for several years. For me it’s a building that holds a lot of sentimental value and that I’ve never tired of shooting in.  It’s a beautiful space and it’s a photographers dream to shoot in.  

The history of the building and the RSA is just as fascinating as the building itself.   Established in 1754 the “The Royal Society of the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce” has a list of previous fellows that is absolutely jaw dropping. From Dickens, Hawkings, to Attenborough.  The debates and lectures they host are available online, and are well worth a watch if you’re curious.  When you host an event at RSA house, a portion of your event expenditure goes towards the charities mission.

The main entrance RSA house can be found on John Adam’s Street in Central London.

Some of the perks of choosing The RSA for your wedding or event:

• The location really can’t be beat.  It’s one of the most convenient places in central London to travel to with easy connections to the District Line, Circle Line, Northern Line, and Bakerloo Lines.  Charing Cross Station is only a few streets away and Waterloo Station is an easy walk.  There’s a vast array of hotels nearby in a range of price ranges as well. 
• Exclusive Use: Unlike some larger hotels, the whole building is available for exclusive use for events.   
• Flexibility in spaces: There’s a huge range of rooms to host larger groups and smaller rooms for using as working spaces such as green rooms, breakout sessions, getting ready spaces, etc.
• Air Conditioning:  This is really rare in a venue of this historical nature and makes such a huge difference on a warm summer day.  One wedding I photographed here happened to be on one of the hottest days of the year, and I was absolutely ecstatic when I walked into the building and felt the cool breeze of air conditioning.  It made a huge difference in the overall comfort and enjoyment of the space for all of the guests. 
• Handicap Accessible: It’s very rare to find a venue with this historic charm to also be handicap accessible. Someone may need assistance with the initial first few steps into the venue (which there are door staff right there to help with), but the rest of the floors are accessible by modern lifts.  There are also accessible toilets throughout the building.   
• Fantastic and experienced venue staff: In addition to the stunning architecture, the event staff are first-class. They’re always very organised, helpful, and go out of their way for their guests. 
• Fantastic food: I’m a big fan of food, and I’ve had the pleasure of eating many of the meals provided by the RSA over the years. The food is honestly fantastic, lovely tasting and beautifully plated. 

 

Here are some more details regarding the larger spaces of the RSA:

The Grand Yellow Staircase

When you first enter the RSA from John Adam’s street, you’ll be welcomed by a lovely doorman with the option to use the cloakroom if needed. From here you can go right into the the main parts building, straight into the Benjamin Franklin Room, or left up the stunning mosaic stairs that lead to the Great Hall.

The staircase can be an option for a large group shot if needed, however I personally think a group shot in the street is a more flattering angle.

At the top of the stairs you’ll find a large window overlooking John Adam’s Street, a small seating area and a incredible fireplace with a very antique radiator.

The Benjamin Franklin Room 

The most easily accessible but understated room in the building. It’s the first big room you’ll find when entering the building from John Adam’s Street.  The centrepiece of the room is the stunning chandelier. It evokes the feeling of eyeglass lenses, which is fitting for the room being named after RSA fellow Benjamin Franklin, the inventor of the bi-focal.    

This room is most often used for ceremonies or drinks receptions.  It has a large window that has a view of The Strand, but it’s set back far enough from the street that the room is quiet.  This room is a great starting point for an event as it’s easy to find and enter and still leaves the rest of the building as a surprise.  

 

The Great Room

After you walk up the mosaic stairs next to the entrance you’ll find The Great Room.  It’s quite probably one of the prettiest rooms in all of London. The centrepiece of this room is the wrap around mural by James Barry.   Although there’s no windows on the walls, there’s a large glass dome in the ceiling that allows flattering natural light to drape the room.  On one side you’ll find a large wood stage the folds away to just look like a tasteful wood backdrop, and on another wall you’ll find a beautiful historic clock.    

Since this room is used for events of varying scales, they have a professional sound system and a sound engineer available to run the microphones and music.

 

The Vaults 

Found hidden away all the way in the basement of the RSA, the Vaults feel like a secret space when you first find them.  They are perfect for evening parties with loud music or more intimate ceremonies.  They are naturally quite “moody” in feel and lend themselves perfectly to candlelight.  

When you come down the long set of stairs, you’ll find the first vault on your right.  This vault is disconnected from the other vaults and can serve as a quiet, more intimate space than the rest of the vaults.

To the left of vault one are several other interconnected arches that make up the main area of the vaults.  You can have a dance floor in one vault, and a more quiet conversation space in another.  If there is loud music in one vault, you can hear it in another but the sound is muted as the vault walls are so thick.

If you think you’re keen to have loud music at your event, The Vaults is perfect.  Many venues can be hampered by noise restrictions, however the location of The Vaults make it ideal for parties.

 

While I do adore the RSA, there are some things you should consider when selecting it:

• No outdoor space: The only outdoor space available to use, for things like confetti, is the pavement and street outside of the venue.  John Adams Street is a fairly quiet street aside from the odd taxi taking a shortcut down the road, so it is is doable to use road or pavement for short periods of time.  Group shots are great to do outside to take advantage of the natural light, but thankfully the RSA has enough space indoors to make this work if the weather is poor.   

• Separated layout over multiple floors: The layout of the building can be confusing for those not familiar with the venue.  The RSA staff do a good job of moving guests as a “group” throughout the building to make it more straightforward.  It’s worth working with your event coordinator to make sure your schedule is clear cut as possible to avoid any confusion by your guests on how the space is laid out.   
• Confusing lift system: Because of the unusual layout of the venue, there are several sets of lifts facing different directions throughout the building.  It can be confusing which lift to take when you’re trying to quickly access another floor.  Working with the event staff and keeping your schedule streamlined can make this a lot easier.   

It should be obvious from the tone of this blog post that I would absolutely recommend the RSA for hiring for private events. If you’re looking for photography for your event, please get in touch!