RSA House, The Great Room
The RSA, 8 John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6EZ -
Up to
200 standingOffers
cateringInternal Catering
allowed
RSA House has been home to The RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) and its 30,000 strong fellowship since 1774 as well as some of the greatest thinkers and social activists of the past 200 years. Some notable names of past fellows you might recognise include Charles Dickens, Dame Judy Dench and Professor Stephen Hawking.
The RSA’s purpose and passion is to unite people and ideas to resolve the most pressing challenges of our time with its three current focus areas being The Future of Work, Sustainability and Education and Learning. By hosting an event at RSA House, you are directly contributing to the charity with 100% of the venue hire profits going straight back in to fund these programmes of work.
The House is situated just off the Strand and very close to Embankment Gardens and Trafalgar Square. We are very well connected with the nearest tube and mainline train stations being Charing Cross and Embankment, both less than a 5-minute walk away.
We accommodate a wide range of events at RSA House including conferences, dinners, Christmas parties, receptions, small meetings, product launches, filming, fashion shows, screenings, weddings and private dining. The House can be hired exclusively at the weekend when it is not open to the fellows or public.
The Great Room is our largest space in the building playing host to awards dinners, large conferences and meetings, drinks receptions and weddings. This iconic room is fully air conditioned, with natural daylight streaming in from the glass domed ceiling. With full AV built in, this room is ideal for most event types.
The Great Room was designed by Adam as an assembly room for the Society Members' discussions and debates and as a venue for the presentation of awards and prizes.
The Great Room is dominated by the epic series of paintings "Progress of Human Knowledge and Culture" by James Barry. In 1774, ten artists including Barry, were invited to decorate the Great Room and all declined, but Barry. 24 years later the impressive sequence of six paintings were completed to display the images we still house today.
Capacity & layout
Standing
up to 200
Dining
up to 130
Theatre
up to 180
Boardroom
up to 35
Cabaret
up to 80
Classroom
up to 45
Pricing
& opening hours
Weekly schedule
monday
0:00 - 24:00
tuesday
0:00 - 24:00
wednesday
0:00 - 24:00
thursday
0:00 - 24:00
friday
0:00 - 24:00
saturday
0:00 - 24:00
sunday
0:00 - 24:00
Price type:
from £7731 per day
from £10775 per day
from £10775 per day
from £10775 per day
from £7731 per day
from £8000 per day
from £8000 per day
Catering & drinks
Catering arrangements
Catering facilities
Refreshments
Alcohol
Amenities
Cloakroom
Disabled access
Heating
Air conditioning
Lectern
Natural light
Print/Scan/Copy
Stage
Table / chairs included
Tea
Public transport
Premises parking
Audio & visual
Sound system
Microphone
Projector & screen
TV screen
Flipchart
WiFi
Other
7.1 surround sound system, 20,000 lumens Professional Christie Digital HD projector and 16:9 widescreen Hybrid set up available
Space rules
Allowed events
Wedding ceremony licence
Licensed for alcohol
Location
Reviews
Mark B. Benya
From the Coffee House, to its Steps, to the varied captivating conference rooms, banquet halls, parlors, and studies, were one to liken The RSA’s floor plan to that of complimentary interlinked microcosms within a galaxy home to those who Design for Life, I’d say they quite literally hit the nail on the head. In other words, each section of the RSA is so sufficiently unique, and simultaneously stimulating, that one could visit day in and day out and be hard pressed to have the same experience twice. Be it thought provoking panels and forums, works that awe and inspire, spaces that catalyze outside the box thinking, or the genuinely uplifting talent that keeps the Royal Society of Arts running like a well-oiled machine (props Barbara 🤝), there’s nothing quite like getting to enjoy an hour or three at 8 John Adam Street.
Juned Sattar
I am absolutely shocked and horrified that the RSA hosted a fundraising event for the Isreali government. Playing a part in the ongoing massacring of thousands innocent Palestinians. Won't step foot in that place. To say they didn't know details of the event, please!
Other spaces
in this venue