New coffeehouse opens at RSA House

February 19, 2019

Rawthmells – a new café at the heart of RSA House in John Adam Street, London – has recently opened. Aworth Survey Consultants was delighted to be involved in this iconic project, cementing our longstanding relationships with both the RSA and a number of the other professional firms involved with this building.

We have worked with the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and with the Mellersh & Harding Building Consultancy (MHBC) project manager on this particular project since 2008.  The architect was Burrell Foley Fischer, which we have had a professional relationship with for seven years.

Our role on the Rawthmells project involved undertaking detailed 1:50 measured building surveys, rectified photography, floor plans, internal elevations, and sections.

“We are proud to have worked with the RSA on a number of previous projects, including surveying for refurbishment of the many historic rooms for corporate, party and wedding venue hire,” says Andrew Pullinger, Project Manager. “Our long experience of dealing with historic buildings is key with a project such as this, as we are used to working within these type of spaces and complying with all the ethical and professional standards which are expected. We are excited to see the project come together as a venue which will be enjoyed for many years to come.”

The name, Rawthmells, is taken from the name of the coffeehouse in which the RSA was formed back in 1754.

“Our vision is for the coffeehouse to be a place where individuals become part of a greater movement for social change,” says Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the RSA. “We want it to be a natural home for anyone who wants to change the world, enabling people to connect, share knowledge, collaborate, and build new communities to tackle the social challenges of our time.”

Future plans for Rawthmells include a new, larger kitchen in the vault’s restaurant. According to the RSA: “This will ensure that we can maximise the potential of the commercial events programme, and the resulting income will, over a ten year period, provide a return on the money invested in the development of the new coffeehouse.”

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