We are the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, where world-leading ideas are turned into world-changing actions. Our vision is for a world where people, place and planet can flourish in harmony.

We have been at the forefront of significant social impact for over 270 years. Our proven change process, rigorous research, innovative ideas platforms and unique global network of social innovators, work collectively to enable people, places and the planet to flourish.

To learn more about our building, history and achievements, simply seek out the blue plaques that are featured throughout RSA House. There's an example of these blue plaques at the top of this page.

Inspired by the original Blue Plaque scheme, dveeloped by the RSA to celebrate premises with notable historical associations, there are 30 modern-day plaques on display. Each contains a QR code providing access to information about our architectural history, connections with people, places, and events, or celebrates a significant RSA achievement.

Historical RSA

The RSA was born on 22 March 1754, when eleven men met in Rawthmells coffeehouse in Covent Garden and declared themselves the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

The overarching design of the Society, as set out by founder William Shipley, was for our members to pool their subscription funds, to be spent on initiatives for the public good.

We originally functioned as a direct and deliberative democracy, with one person, one vote – including women – who were allowed to be members from our very beginning. In our first hundred years, our fund was spent primarily on encouraging inventions, discoveries, and design skills, through a series of advertised prizes. These prizes were used to encourage the landed aristocracy to plant an estimated 60 million trees, to fund inventions that would not otherwise have been profitable, and to find plants or minerals that could be the basis of new industries. We had hundreds of schemes to remedy social ills, including trying to abolish child labour in cleaning chimneys by finding a technological replacement and trying to solve the problems of banknote forgery. In 1760 we even hosted Britain’s first dedicated exhibition of contemporary art, the predecessor to the Royal Academy’s annual exhibitions.

As a direct democracy, however, we also reflected the priorities or prejudices of our members, who were drawn from Britain’s politicians, merchants, artists, civil servants, aristocrats, and manufacturers. In our early years, we advertised prizes to encourage particular industries in Britain’s colonies, some of which underpinned slavery. In later years as our members’ opinions changed, we advertised premiums that did the opposite, rewarding abolitionist causes. Our first vice-president, the 2nd Baron Romney, was a major slave owner. Later, the list of vice presidents included the prominent abolitionist, William Wilberforce.

Reinventing ourselves

From the 1840s the RSA underwent major changes. We ceased being directly democratic but shifted our emphasis to applying art to manufactures, campaigning for system-wide reforms, and holding exhibitions. Under the influence of Henry Cole, arguably our re-founder, we initiated the Great Exhibition of 1851, organised a follow-up International Exhibition of 1862, and continued to be involved in many of the exhibitions now known as the World’s Fairs. It was also in this period that we received our royal charter (though “Royal” was not added to the name until 1908) and became involved in reforming or creating systems in everything from examinations, workers’ self-education, and girls’ secondary schools, to intellectual property, musical pitch, and public sanitation.

In the 1920s we became the focal point for a social movement to preserve old cottages. We were responsible for the preservation of almost the entire village of West Wycombe and administered the Countryside in 1970 conferences between 1963 and 1970. This played an important role in the emergence of the modern concept of environmentalism. We have also been an innovator in applying design to industry, creating the designation of Royal Designers for Industry and awarding the Student Design Awards (RSA Spark as of 2024).

Whatever we can find that could be better, we improve it and move on to the next campaign. Among hundreds of initiatives, in the 1980s we led a national campaign to promote industry and in the 1990s reimagined the Fourth Plinth as a place to display contemporary sculpture. In the 2000s we set up the first of the RSA Academies at Tipton, and in the 2010s we supported the creation of a national network of community banks. Our courageous spirit continues as we harness the curiosity, creativity and courage of our community of Fellows to realise change today.

We invite you to be part of this change. Join our community. Together, we’ll unite people and ideas in collective action to create opportunities to regenerate our world.