Royal Society

I was up at a time I only see when heading into the office. I ate breakfast and was on the station platform at about 8:35 am, just missing a Waterloo-bound train and waiting longer than I wanted for the next. I need not have worried because, as I changed to the Northern Line, there was a train waiting on the platform, and I was out, crossing the roundabout by Trafalgar Square and arriving at Carlton House Terrace ten minutes ahead of schedule. I checked in at reception, and after a few minutes, I—along with a couple of other people who arrived at about the same time—was escorted to the volunteers' room.

I was volunteering at The Royal Society, the home of the UK's National Academy of Science, as part of the annual Open House festival. I thought it would be an interesting venue to spend time in, and unlike PY, who was volunteering on a walking tour in Streatham, I was guaranteed to stay dry.

It's a fantastic building, which was the pre-WWII German Embassy, but it has been many things since John Nash designed the terrace built on Crown land in about 1827. It's now Grade I listed. June, my volunteer colleague, had spent time working in one of the houses—which we later determined to be number 16—when it was Crockford's gambling club.

I had two main tasks: being a kind of floor walker on the upper floor, greeting visitors, removing litter, and ensuring all was well. There were three of us. We got to walk around the impressive former library, look up to a mother-of-pearl inlay ceiling above a staircase, see the beautiful Nash staircase and open doors using original Third Reich doorknobs in the Council room.

I am unfamiliar with the images of many of the scientists whose portraits hang on the walls; Darwin is, perhaps, the exception. However, reading the notes, I saw Edmond Halley (of Comet fame), a young Albert Einstein, and Sir Humphry Davy (inventor of the Davy lamp), amongst others. I spent time greeting people at the top of the staircase, looking at an impressive painting of the Society's former home, Burlington House.

Toward the end of my shift, I was based in reception, gathering feedback from visitors who'd either taken a guided tour or used the map for the self-guided version. All the feedback was positive. It's impressive, but also important, that these buildings are open to the public as there's so much of Britain's rich history explained just by experiencing the spaces.

I thoroughly enjoyed my shift, which was over too quickly. I have done a lot of volunteering, and this was well organised, which made the experience even better.