On Wednesday 29 October at 5pm prompt, a select group of industry invitees including guests from PWC and Marie Curie Cancer Care eagerly gathered at RSA House for an exclusive guided tour through some of the most unique event spaces in the city.
This is the first time that The House, designed by Robert Adam in the early 1770s, has opened its doors for a tour of this kind, with some of the more concealed spaces being London event bookers’ best-kept secrets to date.
The evening opened in the impressive Benjamin Franklin Room with nibbles and drinks from Event Magazine’s Caterer of the Year Harbour & Jones Events, and was followed by a theatrical overview of the history of RSA House starting in The Great Room. This spectacular space is dominated by the famous and imposing series of paintings ‘Progress of Human Knowledge and Culture’ by James Barry.
Moving through to the Durham Street Auditorium, which is built over one of London’s old Roman roads that used to link the Strand to the Thames, guests enjoyed gourmet popcorn whilst hearing about how the road has been preserved as a key feature running strikingly through the 60-seat auditorium.
Glasses refreshed, and nibbles nibbled, guests moved through to the Vaults. Originally designed as riverfront warehouses, these fully restored brick built spaces are now home to award-winning restaurant The Vaults. Brickwork has been sandblasted and sealed to create a powerful yet intimate space, which is also used today for conferences, press launches and weddings.
To round off the evening, guests came together to sample fine dining canapés and a spectacular pudding wall in the Tavern Room, which used to be a public house frequented by Charles Dickens and is in fact mentioned in the Pickwick Papers.
Katy Hadcroft, General Manager at RSA House said ‘’it was wonderful to be able to share the rich history of RSA House with such a captivated audience. The event spaces here are so unique and we’re proud to be able to offer event bookers such an extraordinary venue in a prime location.’
Situated just off the Strand in central London, the House team provides a bespoke service to clients. Whether it’s a conference for 200, location filming, product launches, press events, boardroom meetings, wedding ceremonies, receptions or parties, they deliver the very best in hospitality.
Exclusive historic tours are being offered to event bookers throughout November at RSA House. Contact the House team on 020 7930 5115 to plan your visit.