The Adam brothers [Chapter 5, Page 228] are Robert Adam (1728–1792) and James Adam (1732–1794). They were born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, the sons of Scotland’s most famous architect William Adam (1689–1748). Both Adam brothers made Grand Tours when they studied their art. During their tour, they amassed antiquities and drawings and brought them back home. On their return to Britain, they settled in London and started their career as architects, builders, designers, and developers, as well as suppliers of building materials. The Grand Tour greatly influenced their design. They utilized their knowledge and study of Roman antiquity, incorporated English, Scottish and French elements, and developed what we now know as the Adam style of architecture.
The Adam Brothers initiated a new phase of the classical revival in England and Scotland and introduced neoclassicism to Britain. Their architectural style is characterized by neo-Antique ornaments and typically 18th-century refinement and elegance. The focus of the Adam brothers’ practice was the unity of their designs, often achieved by conceiving houses in their entirety, their exterior and interior designs as well as their furniture. However, they also designed interiors for existing houses and provided plans for exteriors. Some of their buildings still used elements of the Palladian style in their exteriors, but the interiors they designed were deliberately and distinctly new and different.
Famous buildings designed by the Adam brothers include the Royal Exchange and Charlotte Square in Edinburgh, Pulteney Bridge in Bath, Osterley Park, Syon House, and Kenwood House around London. Their most famous creation was probably the Adelphi, a multi-purpose development (now largely demolished) on the north side of the Thames. It was built between 1768 and 1772 and was funded by the brothers with the intention of having aristocratic housing above wharves, warehouses, and dwellings for workers. However, the project financially ruined the brothers. (302 words)

On page 228, Chapter 5 of Orlando, Woolf describes a“ hardy country gentleman, who had sat down gladly to a meal of ale and beef in a room designed, perhaps by the brothers Adam, with classic dignity, now felt chilly.” (228)

Works Cited
“Robert Adam: The architect who brought Rome to Scotland.” The Scotsman. https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/robert-adam-arc...
“View of the south front of the new buildings called Adelphi.” British Library. https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/view-of-the-south-front-of-the-new-bu...