We are delighted to welcome visitors to the Royal Astronomical Society for this year's Open House festival, during which we will be celebrating 150 years in New Burlington House. We will be open all day on Saturday 21 September for guided tours and pre-booked children's activities.
Tours (No booking required)
See the architectural features of the building, and learn about the history of astronomy and the Society through guided tours, which will include a special display of books, manuscripts and artefacts in our double-height, galleried library. Actors from Spectrum Drama will also bring to life some of the most fascinating discoveries in the history of science.
Tours will start at 10am and take place every half hour until 12.30pm, and will resume at 2pm. The last tour will start at 4.30pm. We will not be taking bookings in advance. Each tour will be limited to a maximum of 25 people and places are allocated on a first come, first served basis on the day, so there might be queues. See the Open House Festival website for more information.
Children's science activities (Booking required)
This year a number of fun-filled science activities for children will be taking place in our Lecture Theatre on Saturday 21 September. Sessions will be running at 11.15am for ages 7 to 11, and at 2.15pm for ages 12 to 16.
These sessions need to be pre-booked via the Open House Festival website. Places are limited to 20 children per session and children must be accompanied by an adult (up to two adults per child).
Learn about comets, stars, constellations, and our founders the Herschels themselves! There may also be encounters with astronomers Caroline Herschel and her nephew John!
The Royal Astronomical Society at Burlington House
The Royal Astronomical Society moved into Burlington House 150 years ago in 1874. It was founded in 1820. Since its inception it has been promoting the understanding of astronomy and geophysics by organising meetings, publishing research, and maintaining a specialist library and archive, among other activities.
The Society originally occupied rooms in Lincoln’s Inn, and later, Somerset House. The Society’s apartments in Burlington House were specially built by the government for the learned societies when they were required to vacate Somerset House. The RAS now shares the courtyard of Burlington House with the premises of five other learned societies: the Linnean Society of London, the Society of Antiquaries, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Geological Society of London, together with the Royal Academy of Arts.
The insignia of the Society are traced into the fabric of the building, from the monograms in the entrance hall and lobby to the etchings on the stained glass 'cosmic spiral' window on the first-floor landing. This stunning window was designed and produced by Sally Scott, in association with Nero Designs, when the building was refurbished by Peregrine Bryant Associates in 2007.
What else is happening?
Other learned societies based at Burlington House are also participating in Open House London 2024 on Saturday 21 September. For more information, visit:
Society of Antiquaries of London