Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, the home of the Royal Academy of Arts and several important learned institutions. Sir John Denham, 1664-5; remodelled by Colen Campbell (who provided the first gateway through to the forecourt), c. 1717-20; R. R. Banks and E. M. Barry (who replaced the older frontage and a colonnade by James Gibbs around the forecourt with these "heavy Italianate blocks," Weinreb et al. 116), 1868-73. The main house lies behind this frontage and is accessed through the archway. For more details on that building, particularly on Sydney Smirke's work on it, see the Royal Academy.
Denham originally built Burlington House for his own use, though he sold it before it was completed. The only great nobleman's residence to have survived along this side of Piccadilly, it has a very complicated architectural history (see Sheppard), though the Piccadilly frontage as it is today owes most to Campbell, and was based on the Palazzo Porto at Vincenza. The other institutions currently housed here are the Society of Antiquaries, the Linnean Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Geological Society and the Royal Astronomical Society.
Photograph and commentary by Jacqueline Banerjee, 2009. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL.]
Other Views and Related Material
- Detail: statues along the upper storey of the Royal Academy
- Statue of Sir Joshua Reynolds in forecourt
- Burlington House, Piccadilly façade with arched entrance to the RA forecourt
- Painting and three other allegorical figures on archway to Picadilly
- 6, Burlington Gardens at the back of the RA, now a part of it
- Entrance to the Royal Academy School on Burlington Gardens
- The Royal Academy of Arts (essay)
References
Sheppard, F. H. W. (Gen. Ed), "Burlington House."Survey of England, Vols. 31 and 32: St James, Westminster, Part 2 (1983): 390-429. Viewed 26 May 2009. Available offsite here
Weinreb, Ben, et al, eds. The London Encyclopaedia. 3rd ed. London: Macmillan, 2008.
Last modified 6 September 2009