The story of how a widow's legacy led to the setting up, in 1844, of what became the RWA, which boasts the finest galleries outside London, and of its subsequent turbulent history.
Sheena Stoddard writes about the amazing Sharples family of artists; Tim Mowl discusses the 'battle of the styles' which led to the building's adventurous Italianate lines: Helen Reid covers the remarkable patronage of the Wills family, and John Hudson examines the role played by Lord Methuen in guiding the Academy's post-Second World War revival and in establishing a nationally important collection of British twentieth-century art (much of which is illustrated in the book).