The Soane Museum Study Group is an open forum for scholars – both established and emerging – to present new research into an aspect of architectural history and/or Soane’s collection.

Sydney Ayres Mercer – Reinvention and Reinterpretation: The Revival of the Adam Style in Architecture (1870-1920)

Late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century British architecture saw a renewed fascination with the eighteenth century. This revival encompassed a wide range of Neo-Georgian styles—from Wrenaissance and Rococo to Colonial and Regency—shaping everything from monumental civic architecture to domestic interiors. Within this crowded revival landscape, the Adam Style held a distinctive and often exceptional position: its architectural uses were relatively rare, appearing almost as an exception rather than the rule. 

The Adam Revival followed a distinct trajectory: beginning with the popularity of Adam Style furniture and interiors in the 1860s before extending into architecture. This talk will explore how and why the Adam Style re-emerged in architecture between 1870 and 1920, tracing its selective adoption and cultural significance across a wide range of examples. It will show how large-scale projects (such as country houses or suites of rooms) almost always reveal a direct link to Adam through an original Adam building or a family connection. Alternatively, smaller-scale examples (such as individual rooms, façades, porches, ceilings or chimneypieces) are abundant, reflecting the prevailing fashion for Adam Style motifs and their adaptability and versatility in design. Ultimately, the paper argues that the Adam Revival was not a dominant trend but a deliberate stylistic and aesthetic choice—one chosen from amongst many revival styles on offer. It situates the Adam Revival within the broader Neo-Georgian context, examining the role of these revivals in consolidating Adam’s place in the British architectural canon. 

About the speaker

Dr Sydney Ayers Mercer is Tutor in Architecture & Urbanism at The King’s Foundation—where she teaches across academic programmes and university partnerships, and works on special projects in heritage skills training, traditional building and craft, heritage conservation, and furniture history. Previously, Sydney was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), University of Edinburgh. She completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh, funded by a PhD Scholarship from the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain (SAHGB). Sydney's research centres on the afterlife and reception of British (neo)classical architecture and design in Britain as well as globally, from the long eighteenth to the present day, with a particular focus on the eighteenth-century architect Robert Adam. She is currently working on her first book, The Afterlife of Robert Adam and his Adam Style.

Event details
  • Wednesday 25 February 2026
  • Drinks reception 18:00, talk begins at 18:30
  • On arrival, please come to No. 14 Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The door will be staffed from 18:00
  • Tickets are free, but please do book yours to ensure capacity
  • Your email confirmation serves as your ticket

Banner image: Courtesy of The King’s Foundation