The Keeper's House at London's Royal Academy is unveiled

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Cassone takes a peek behind the scenes

On Monday 30 September the Keeper’s House opened to the public following a major redevelopment, transforming facilities for visitors and supporters. The £6.5 million project has been led by award-winning architects Long & Kentish, with interiors designed by David Chipperfield Architects (designers of Turner Contemporary, Margate, and the Hepworth Wakefield) and the garden designed by leading landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith, while the catering is managed by  restaurateur Oliver Peyton. Works of art by Royal Academicians, including Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin and Michael Craig Martin, and from the Royal Academy Collection are on display throughout the building. The space includes a new restaurant, cocktail bar, garden and refurbished lounges, providing a home for artists and art lovers in the heart of Mayfair.

Located in the eastern wing of the Academy’s historic Burlington House building, the Keeper’s House was built in the 1870s as the central London home for the Keeper of the Royal Academy. It is directly accessible from both the Royal Academy’s Courtyard and inside the front hall of Burlington House. Friends of the Royal Academy, Patrons and Royal Academicians will have all-day access, while the general public can enjoy it from 4p.m. until midnight.

The renovation has modernized the spaces used by the Friends of the Royal Academy. The Sir Hugh Casson and Belle Shenkman Rooms have been refurbished to create spaces where visitors can enjoy drinks and a light menu. The project has opened up the previously unused lower-ground floor to create the new restaurant, the Shenkman Bar and garden. The restaurant displays original architectural features and casts from the RA Collection. The Shenkman Bar and garden will open from 12 noon until late, with tea and coffee available during the afternoon and cocktails in the evening.

In addition the Keeper’s House includes the refurbishment of the Academicians’ Room on the first floor, an impressive grand space originally designed by Norman Shaw RA, and the Grimshaw Library, which will provide a designated area for Royal Academicians and their guests. The new facilities also feature a glass atrium lift connecting the Royal Academy Schools and the research library for the first time, Wi-Fi throughout, a dedicated cloakroom and additional lavatories.

The Keeper’s House project has been funded by the Friends of the Royal Academy; William and Maureen Shenkman; Sir Simon & Lady Robertson; Mr Richard S. Sharp; the American Associates of the Royal Academy Trust; the Japanese Committee of Honour of the Royal Academy of Arts; Sir David & Lady Bell; The Coral Samuel Charitable Trust; Sir Nicholas Grimshaw CBE PPRA; Sir Ronald Grierson; the Founding Supporters’ of the Keeper’s House and several other private donors.