Royal Society

Learned Society in/near St James’s, existing between 1967 and now

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Learned Society · * · SW1Y ·
JUNE
18
2021
The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering and medicine.

The Society has played a part in some of the most fundamental, significant, and life-changing discoveries in scientific history and Royal Society scientists continue to make outstanding contributions to science in many research areas.

The origins of the Royal Society lie in an ’invisible college’ of natural philosophers who began meeting in the mid-1640s to discuss the new philosophy of promoting knowledge of the natural world through observation and experiment, which we now call science.

Its official foundation date is 28 November 1660, when a group of 12 met at Gresham College after a lecture by Christopher Wren, then the Gresham Professor of Astronomy, and decided to found ’a Colledge for the Promoting of Physico-Mathematicall Experimentall Learning’. This group included Wren himself, Robert Boyle, John Wilkins, Sir Robert Moray, and William, Viscount Brouncker.

The Royal Society’s motto ’Nullius in verba’ roughly translates as ’take nobody’s word for it’. It is an expression of the determination of Fellows to withstand the domination of authority and to verify all statements by an appeal to facts determined by experiment.

The Society was to meet weekly to witness experiments and discuss what we would now call scientific topics. The first Curator of Experiments was Robert Hooke. It was Moray who first told the King, Charles II, of this venture and secured his approval and encouragement. At first apparently nameless, the name The Royal Society first appears in print in 1661, and in the second Royal Charter of 1663 the Society is referred to as ’The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge’.

The Society found accommodation at Gresham College and rapidly began to acquire a library (the first book was presented in 1661) and a repository or museum of specimens of scientific interest. After the Fire of 1666 it moved for some years to Arundel House, London home of the Dukes of Norfolk. It was not until 1710, under the Presidency of Isaac Newton, that the Society acquired its own home, two houses in Crane Court, off the Strand.

In 1662 the Society was permitted by Royal Charter to publish and the first two books it produced were John Evelyn’s Sylva and Micrographia by Robert Hooke. In 1665, the first issue of Philosophical Transactions was edited by Henry Oldenburg, the Society’s Secretary. The Society took over publication some years later and Philosophical Transactions is now the oldest scientific journal in continuous publication.

From the beginning, Fellows of the Society had to be elected, although the criteria for election were vague and the vast majority of the Fellowship were not professional scientists. In 1731 a new rule established that each candidate for election had to be proposed in writing and this written certificate signed by those who supported his candidature. These certificates survive and give a glimpse of both the reasons why Fellows were elected and the contacts between Fellows.

The Society moved again in 1780 to premises at Somerset House provided by the Crown, an arrangement made by Sir Joseph Banks who had become President in 1778 and was to remain so until his death in 1820. Banks was in favour of maintaining a mixture among the Fellowship of working scientists and wealthy amateurs who might become their patrons. This view grew less popular in the first half of the 19th century and in 1847 the Society decided that in future Fellows would be elected solely on the merit of their scientific work.

This new professional approach meant that the Society was no longer just a learned society but also de facto an academy of scientists. The Government recognised this in 1850 by giving a grant to the Society of £1000 to assist scientists in their research and to buy equipment. Therefore a Government Grant system was established and a close relationship began, which nonetheless still allowed the Society to maintain its autonomy, essential for scientific research. In 1857 the Society moved once more, to Burlington House in Piccadilly, with its staff of two.

Over the next century the work and staff of the Society grew rapidly and soon outgrew this site. Therefore in 1967 the Society moved again to its present location on Carlton House Terrace.




Main source: Welcome to the Royal Society | Royal Society
Further citations and sources



NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE
Charing Cross Charing Cross denotes the junction of the Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square
Nelson’s Column Nelson’s Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square built to commemorate Horatio Nelson’s decisive victory at the Battle of Trafalgar during which he lost his life.
Northumberland House Northumberland House was a large Jacobean townhouse in London, which was the London residence of the Percy family, the Dukes of Northumberland.
Royal Society The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering and medicine.
St James’s St James’s is an exclusive area in the West End of London.

NEARBY STREETS
Adelaide Street, WC2R Adelaide Street was named for Queen Adelaide, Consort to King William IV (Charing Cross)
Admiralty House, SW1A Admiralty House is a block on Whitehall (Westminster)
Agar Street, WC2N Agar Street is named after George Agar, who built the street in the 1830s with John Ponsonby, Earl of Bessborough (Charing Cross)
Air Street, SW1Y Air Street was the most westerly street in London when newly built in 1658 (Piccadilly Circus)
Albany Courtyard, SW1Y The courtyard is named after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, who in 1791 purchased Melbourne House which stood on this site (St James’s)
Albany, W1B The Albany is an apartment complex in Piccadilly, established in 1802 (Mayfair)
Ambassador’s Court, SW1A Ambassador’s Court is a block on Ambassador’s Court (St James’s)
Ambassador’s Court, SW1A Ambassador’s Court is part of the St James’s Palace complex (St James’s)
Angel Court, SW1Y Angel Court is named after a long demolished inn of this name (St James’s)
Apple Tree Yard, SW1Y Apple Tree Yard is thought named after the apple trees formerly to be found here (St James’s)
Babmaes Street, SW1Y Babmaes Street was originally called Wells Street (St James’s)
Bennett House, SW1A Bennett House is located on Bennet Street (St James’s)
Blue Ball Yard, SW1A Blue Ball Yard is first mentioned in 1672 when its site was sold by King Charles II (St James’s)
Blue Bridge, SW1A Blue Bridge crosses St James’s Park lake (St James’s Park)
Bridgewater House, SW1A Bridgewater House is a block on Cleveland Row (St James’s)
Broughton House, W1S Broughton House is located on Sackville Street (Piccadilly Circus)
Brydges Place, WC2N Brydges Place replaced Taylor’s Buildings in 1904 when the Colloseum was built (Charing Cross)
Burlington Arcade, SW1Y Burlington Arcade is a covered shopping arcade, 179 metres in length, that runs from Piccadilly to Burlington Gardens. (St James’s)
Bury Street, SW1A Bury Street runs north-to-south from Jermyn Street to King Street, crossing Ryder Street (St James’s)
Canada House, SW1A Canada House is a Greek Revival building situated on Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross)
Carlton Gardens, SW1Y Carlton Gardens was developed before 1832 (St James’s)
Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y Carlton House Terrace consists of a pair of terraces - white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St James’s Park (St James’s)
Catherine Wheel Yard, SW1A Catherine Wheel Yard is named after an inn that stood on this site until it burnt down in 1895 (St James’s)
Chandos Place, WC2N Chandos Place replaced the northern section of Chandos Street in 1938 (Charing Cross)
Chandos Street, WC2N Chandos Street (called Chandos Place after 1938), was named after the third Lord Chandos, the father-in-law of the fourth Earl of Bedford. (Charing Cross)
Charing Cross, WC2N Charing Cross, long regarded as London’s central point, as an address is an enigma (Charing Cross)
Charles II Street, SW1Y Charles II Street is named for the ’Merry Monarch’ (St James’s)
Chatham House, SW1Y Chatham House is a building on St James’s Square (St James’s)
Church Court, WC2N Church Court once led from Church Lane - now demolished - to Strand (Charing Cross)
Church Lane, WC2N Church Lane was once a small lane leading from the back of St-Martins-in-the-Fields church to the Strand (Charing Cross)
Church Place, SW1Y Church Place was named after the adjacent St James’s Church, Piccadilly (St James’s)
Cleveland Row, SW1A Cleveland Row – after Cleveland House (now Bridgwater House), named for Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland who lived there in the late 17th century (St James’s)
Cleveland Yard, SW1Y Cleveland Yard is now the site of Cleveland Place (St James’s)
Clydesdale Bank House, W1J Clydesdale Bank House is a block on Piccadilly (Piccadilly Circus)
Cockspur Court, SW1A Cockspur Court runs west for a short section from Spring Gardens (Charing Cross)
Cockspur Street, SW1A Cockspur Street is possibly after the cock fighting that formerly occurred here, cocks often having spurs attached to their feet during fights (Charing Cross)
Colette House, W1J Colette House is a block on Piccadilly (St James’s)
Craig’s Court, SW1A Craig’s Court is an alleyway off Whitehall (Charing Cross)
Craven Passage, WC2N Craven Passage is named after William Craven, 3rd Baron Craven, who owned the land when the street was built in the 1730s (Charing Cross)
Craven Street, WC2N Craven Street is named after William Craven, 3rd Baron Craven, who owned the land when the street was built in the 1730s (Charing Cross)
Crown Passage, SW1A Crown Passage is thought to be after a former tavern of the name (St James’s)
Dalmeny Court, SW1Y Dalmeny Court is a block on Duke Street (St James’s)
Denman House, W1J Denman House is a block on Piccadilly (Piccadilly Circus)
Dover House, SW1A Dover House is a block on Whitehall (Westminster)
Downing Street, SW1A Downing Street has been the home of British Prime Minsters since the eighteenth century (Westminster)
Dudley House, SW1A Dudley House is situated at 169 Piccadilly (St James’s)
Duke Of York Street, SW1Y Duke Of York Street runs between Jermyn Street and St James’s Square (St James’s)
Duke Street St James’s, SW1Y Duke Street St James’s is named after James II, Duke of York when the street was built and brother to Charles II, king at the time (St James’s)
Duncannon Street, WC2N Duncannon Street connects Trafalgar Square and Strand (Charing Cross)
Eagle Place, SW1Y Eagle Place lies off Piccadilly (Piccadilly Circus)
Egyptian House, W1J Egyptian House is a block on Piccadilly (St James’s)
Empire House, W1J Empire House is a block on Piccadilly (St James’s)
Fludyer Street, SW1A Fludyer Street used to be a street which lay parallel to, and south of, Downing Street (Westminster)
French Railway House, SW1Y French Railway House occupies 178-180 Piccadilly (St James’s)
Grand Buildings, SW1A Grand Buildings replaced the Grand Hotel in 1986 (Charing Cross)
Great Scotland Yard, SW1A Great Scotland Yard is a street located in Westminster, London, connecting Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall. (Charing Cross)
Gwydyr House, SW1A Gwydyr House is a building on Whitehall (Westminster)
Haymarket House, W1D Haymarket House is a block on Shaver’s Place (Piccadilly Circus)
Haymarket, SW1Y Haymarket – site of a former market selling hay until the 1830s (St James’s)
Hobhouse Court, WC2H Hobhouse Court is named after Sir John Cam Hobhouse, Victorian MP and arts patron (Leicester Square)
Horse Guards Parade, SW1A Horse Guards Parade dates to the time of Henry VIII (Westminster)
Horse Guards Road, SW1A Horse Guards Road runs along the eastern edge of St James’s Park (Westminster)
Hudson’s Court, WC2N Hudson’s Court is one of the courtyards swept away by the building of Trafalgar Square and Duncannon Street during the 1830s (Charing Cross)
Huguenot House, WC2H Huguenot House is a block on Panton Street (Leicester Square)
Irving Street, WC2H Irving Street is named after Henry Irving, the popular Victorian actor (Leicester Square)
Jermyn Street, SW1Y Jermyn Street is the main east-west road of St James’s (St James’s)
Johnson’s Court, SW1A Johnson’s Court is a former courtyard next to Northumberland House (Charing Cross)
King Charles Street, SW1A King Charles Street is a street of government buildings, one block south of Downing Street (Westminster)
King Street, SW1Y King Street leads from St James’s Street to St James’s Square (St James’s)
Kinnaird House, SW1Y Kinnaird House is a block on Pall Mall (St James’s)
Kirkland House, SW1A Kirkland House is a block on Whitehall (Westminster)
Lancaster Court, WC2N Lancaster Court was an old Strand courtyard, swept away in the 1830s (Charing Cross)
Little St James’s Street, SW1A Little St James’s Street is a turning off of St James’s Street proper (St James’s)
Lower Regent Street, SW1Y Lower Regent Street is the name for the part of Regent Street which lies south of Piccadilly Circus (St James’s)
Main Building, SW1A Main Building is a block on Horse Guards Avenue (Westminster)
Malta House, W1J Malta House is a building on Piccadilly (Piccadilly Circus)
Marlborough Road, SW1Y Marlborough Road was named after the adjacent Marlborough House, built for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough in 1711 (St James’s)
Masons Yard, SW1Y Mason’s Yard was named for the local 18th century victualler Henry Mason (St James’s)
New Street, SW1A New Street was made part of Spring Gardens in 1881 (Westminster)
New Zealand House, SW1Y New Zealand House is a block on Haymarket (St James’s)
Norris Street, SW1Y Norris Street – after Godfrye Norris, local leaseholder in the 17th century (Piccadilly Circus)
Northumberland Avenue, WC2N Northumberland Avenue runs from Trafalgar Square in the west to the Thames Embankment. (Charing Cross)
Northumberland Court, SW1A Northumberland Court was a courtyard beside Northumberland House (Charing Cross)
Northumberland House, SW1A Northumberland House is a modern block on Northumberland Avenue sharing the same name as a notable house of Charing Cross (Charing Cross)
Northumberland Street, WC2N Northumberland Street commemorates the former Northumberland House, built originally in the 17th century for the earls of Northampton and later acquired by the earls of Northumberland. (Charing Cross)
Nuffield House, W1J Nuffield House is located on Piccadilly (St James’s)
Oceanic House, SW1Y Oceanic House is a block on Pall Mall East (Charing Cross)
Old Admiralty Building, SW1A Old Admiralty Building is a block on Spring Gardens (Westminster)
Orange Street, WC2H Orange Street gets its name from William III, Prince of Orange - the reigning king when the street was built. (Leicester Square)
Ormond Yard, SW1Y Ormond Yard was named after James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, who owned a house next to this yard in the 17th century (St James’s)
Oxendon Street, W1D Oxendon Street, after Sir Henry Oxendon, husband of Mary Baker, daughter of Robert Baker who built the former Piccadilly House nearby (Leicester Square)
Pall Mall East, SW1A Pall Mall East is an eastern extension of Pall Mall towards Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross)
Pall Mall, SW1Y Pall Mall was laid out as grounds for playing pall mall in the 17th century (St James’s)
Panton Street, SW1Y Panton Street was named after Colonel Thomas Panton, local property dealer of the 17th century (Leicester Square)
Park Place, SW1A Park Place is named after nearby Green Park (St James’s)
Piccadilly Arcade, SW1Y Piccadilly Arcade runs between Piccadilly and Jermyn Street (St James’s)
Piccadilly Place, SW1Y Piccadilly Place is an alleyway leading to Vine Street (Piccadilly Circus)
Piccadilly, SW1Y Piccadilly is one of the main London streets (St James’s)
Pickering Place, SW1A Thought to be the smallest public open space in London, Pickering Place is perhaps most famous for being the location of the last public duel in England (St James’s)
Pickering Place, SW1Y Pickering Place is London’s smallest square (St James’s)
Princes Arcade, SW1Y Princes Arcade, built 1929–33, was named after the former Prince’s Hotel, which stood here (St James’s)
Rex House, SW1Y Rex House is a building on Regent Street (St James’s)
Richmond House Whitehall, SW1A Richmond House Whitehall is one of the streets of London in the SW1A postal area (Westminster)
Richmond House, SW1A Richmond House is a block on Whitehall (Westminster)
Richmond Terrace Mews, SW1A Richmond Terrace Mews originally led to New Scotland Yard (Westminster)
Richmond Terrace, SW1A Richmond Terrace is on the site of Richmond House, destroyed by a fire on 21 December 1791 (Westminster)
Rose and Crown Yard, SW1Y Rose and Crown Yard was probably named after a former inn of this name (St James’s)
Royal Opera Arcade, SW1Y Royal Opera Arcade was originally part of an opera house theatre, built by John Nash (St James’s)
Royalty House, W1S Royalty House is a block on Sackville Street (Mayfair)
Russell Court, SW1A Russell Court is named after the Russell family, who lived here in the 1600s (St James’s)
Ryder Street, SW1A Ryder Street was named after Richard Rider, Master Carpenter to Charles II (St James’s)
Ryder Yard, SW1Y Ryder Yard was named for Richard Rider, Master Carpenter to Charles II (St James’s)
Ryger House, SW1A Ryger House is located on Arlington Street (St James’s)
Sabadell House, SW1Y Sabadell House is a block on Pall Mall (St James’s)
Sackville Street, W1B Sackville Street runs north from Piccadilly (Mayfair)
Samuel House, SW1Y Samuel House is located on St Alban’s Street (St James’s)
Spencer House, SW1A Spencer House is a block on St James’s Place (St James’s)
Spring Gardens, WC2N Spring Gardens derives its name from the Spring Garden, formed in the 16th century (Charing Cross)
St Alban’s House, SW1Y St Alban’s House can be found on Haymarket (St James’s)
St Albans Street, SW1Y St Albans Street was named after Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans, 17th century politician and local landowner (Piccadilly Circus)
St James’s Market, SW1Y St James’s Market was part of the site of St James’s leper hospital in the Middle Ages, named after James, son of Zebedee (Piccadilly Circus)
St James’s Chambers, SW1Y St James’s Chambers is a block located at 9 Ryder Street (St James’s)
St James’s Place, SW1A St James’s Place runs west from St James’s Street (St James’s)
St James’s Square, SW1Y St James’s Square is the only square in the district of St James’s (St James’s)
St James’s Street, SW1A St James’s Street is a main road of the West End running from Pall Mall to Piccadilly (St James’s)
St Martins Place, WC2N St Martin’s Place is a short stretch connecting Trafalgar Square to the bottom of Charing Cross Road (Charing Cross)
St Martins Street, WC2H St Martins Street is one of the streets of London in the WC2H postal area (Leicester Square)
Stable Yard Road, SW1A Stable Yard Road leads from The Mall to Clarence House (St James’s)
Standbrook House, W1S Standbrook House is a block on Old Bond Street (Green Park)
Suffolk Place, SW1Y The Earl of Suffolk (Thomas Howard) was the reason for the naming of Suffolk Place (St James’s)
Suffolk Street, SW1Y Suffolk Street was named after Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, who owned a stable yard attached to Northumberland House which lay on this site (St James’s)
Swallow Street, SW1Y Swallow Street honours Thomas Swallow, lessee in 1540 of the pastures on which the road was built (Piccadilly Circus)
The Bank Building, SW1A The Bank Building is located on St James’s Street (St James’s)
The Economist Building, SW1A The Economist Building can be found on St James’s Street (St James’s)
The Mall, SW1Y The Mall is the processional route between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace (St James’s)
Trafalgar Square, WC2N Trafalgar Square commemorates Horatio Nelson’s 1805 victory at the Battle of Trafalgar (Charing Cross)
Trinity Place, SW1A Trinity Place is a former courtyard in the Whitehall area (Charing Cross)
Victory House, W1B Victory House is a block on Regent Street (Piccadilly Circus)
Vine Street, SW1Y Vine Street is a short dead-end street running east from Swallow Street and is parallel to Piccadilly (Piccadilly Circus)
Warwick House Street, SW1A Warwick House Street formerly approached Warwick House, built in the 17th century for Sir Philip Warwick (Charing Cross)
Waterloo Place, SW1Y Waterloo Place, an extension of Regent Street, is awash with statues and monuments that honour heroes of the British Empire (St James’s)
Whitcomb Street, WC2H Whitcomb Street - named after William Whitcomb, 17th century brewer and property developer (Leicester Square)
Whitehall Court, SW1A Whitehall Court runs north from Horse Guards Avenue (Westminster)
Whitehall Gardens, SW1A Whitehall Gardens is a road in the SW1A postcode area (Westminster)
Whitehall House, SW1A Whitehall House, a grade II listed building, is situated on Whitehall, in close proximity to Trafalgar Square. (Charing Cross)
Whitehall Place, SW1A Whitehall Place is one of the streets of London in the SW1A postal area (Westminster)
Whitehall, SW1A Whitehall is recognised as the centre of the government of the United Kingdom (Westminster)
William IV Street, WC2N William IV Street runs from Charing Cross Road to the Strand (Charing Cross)


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