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Somerset House
Somerset House
Somerset House
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Somerset House is a large neoclassical building complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle is built on the site of a Tudor palace ("Old Somerset House") originally belonging to the Duke of Somerset. The present Somerset House was designed by Sir William Chambers, begun in 1776, and was further extended with Victorian era outer wings to the east and west in 1831 and 1856 respectively.[2][3] The site of Somerset House stood directly on the River Thames until the Victoria Embankment was built in the late 1860s.[4]

Key Information

The great Georgian era structure was built to be a grand public building housing various government and public-benefit society offices. Its present tenants are a mixture of various organisations, generally centred around the arts and education.

Old Somerset House

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16th century

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In the 16th century, the Strand, the north bank of the Thames between the City of London and the Palace of Westminster, was a favoured site for the mansions of bishops and aristocrats, who could commute from their own landing stages upriver to the court or downriver to the City and beyond.[5]: 9  In 1539, Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford (died 1552), obtained a grant of land at "Chester Place, outside Temple Bar, London"[6] from his brother-in-law King Henry VIII.[5] When his nephew the young King Edward VI came to the throne in 1547, Seymour became Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector.[5]: 9  In about 1549 he pulled down an old Inn of Chancery and other houses that stood on the site, and began to build himself a palatial residence, making liberal use of other nearby buildings, including some of the chantry chapels and cloisters at St Paul's Cathedral, which were demolished partly at his behest as part of the ongoing dissolution of the monasteries. It was a two-storey house built around a quadrangle, with a gateway rising to three storeys, and was one of the earliest examples of Renaissance architecture in England. It is not known who designed the building.[5]: 11 

Before it was finished, however, the Duke of Somerset was overthrown, attainted by Parliament and in 1552 was executed on Tower Hill.[5]: 11  [7] Somerset Place, as the building was referred to, then came into the possession of the Crown. The duke's royal nephew's half-sister, the future Queen Elizabeth I, lived there during the reign of her half-sister Queen Mary I (1553–58).[5]: 11  The process of completion and improvement was slow and costly. As late as 1598 John Stow refers to it as "yet unfinished".[8]

17th and 18th centuries

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The Somerset House Conference, 19 August 1604
Old Somerset House, in a drawing by Jan Kip published in 1722, was a sprawling and irregular complex with wings from different periods in a mixture of styles. The buildings behind all four square gardens belong to Somerset House.
The Thames from the Terrace of Somerset House Looking Towards St. Paul's, c. 1750 by Canaletto

In the summer of 1604, Somerset House was the location for the negotiations, known as the Somerset House Conference that culminated in the Treaty of London and concluded the nineteen-year Anglo-Spanish War. The treaty was signed on 28 August (New Style), at Whitehall Palace, by the Constable of Castile who was lodged at Somerset House.[9] The conference was the subject of an oil-on-canvas painting depicting the 11 representatives of the governments of England, Spain and the Spanish Netherlands, seated around a conference table, probably in Old Somerset House.[10]

During the 17th century, the house was used as a residence by royal consorts. In the reign of King James I, the building was the London residence of his wife, Anne of Denmark, and was renamed Denmark House.[5]: 13  She commissioned a number of expensive additions and improvements, some to designs by Inigo Jones.[5]: 16  In 1609 Simon Basil and William Goodrowse made steps and terraces in the garden.[11] Anne of Denmark built an orangery and employed a French gardener and hydraulic engineer Salomon de Caus. He built a fountain known as Mount Parnassus with a grotto carved with sea-shells and a black marble female figure representing the River Thames. The fountain was topped by a statue of Pegasus.[12] A surviving cistern for the fountain in nearby Strand Lane was misidentified as a Roman bath.[13]

The refurbished palace was the setting for elaborate entertainments at the wedding of Anne's lady in waiting Jean Drummond on 3 February 1614, including a masque Hymen's Triumph written by Samuel Daniel.[14] On 22 May 1614, Christian IV of Denmark paid a surprise visit to his sister.[15] In 1619, King James granted the palace to Prince Charles. Frances Coke, Viscountess Purbeck was appointed keeper of Denmark House, and Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham frequently stayed there.[16]

After the death of King James in April 1625, his body was brought from Theobalds to lie in state at Denmark House. The state rooms were hung with black cloth. At this period there was no chapel at Denmark House, and so the Great Hall was adapted, and the body moved there before the funeral at Westminster Abbey.[17]

Between 1630 and 1635 Inigo Jones built a chapel where Henrietta Maria of France, the wife of King Charles I, could exercise her Roman Catholic religion.[5]: 16  This was in the care of the Capuchin Order and was on a site to the southwest of the Great Court.[5]: 16  A small cemetery was attached and some of the tombstones are still to be seen built into one of the walls of a passage under the present quadrangle.[18]

Royal occupation of Somerset House was interrupted by the Civil War, and in 1649 Parliament tried to sell it. They failed to find a buyer, although a sale of the contents (most notably 1,570 paintings owned by Charles I)[19] realised the very considerable sum (for that time) of £118,000.[20] Use was still found for it however. Part of it served as an army headquarters, with General Fairfax (the Parliamentarians' commander-in-chief) being given official quarters there;[5]: 31  lodgings were also provided for certain other Parliamentarian notables. It was in Somerset House that Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell's body lay in state after his death in 1658.[5]: 25 

Two years later, with the Restoration, Queen Henrietta Maria returned and in 1661 began a considerable programme of rebuilding, the main feature of which was a magnificent new river front, again to the design of the late Inigo Jones, who had died at Somerset House in 1652.[5]: 48  However she returned to France in 1665 before it was finished. It was then used as an occasional residence by Catherine of Braganza, wife of King Charles II.[5]: 63  During her time it received a certain notoriety as being, in the popular mind, a hot-bed of Catholic conspiracy. Titus Oates made full use of this prejudice in the fabricated details of the Popish Plot and it was alleged that Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, whose murder was one of the great mysteries of the age, had been killed in Somerset House before his body had been smuggled out and thrown into a ditch below Primrose Hill.[21]

Somerset House was refurbished by Sir Christopher Wren in 1685.[5]: 63  After the Glorious Revolution in 1688, Somerset House entered on a long period of decline, being used (after Queen Catherine left England in 1692) for grace and favour residences. In the conditions of the time this meant almost inevitably that little money could be found for its upkeep, and a slow process of decay crept in.[5]: 63  During the 18th century, however, the building ceased its royal associations. Though the view from its terraced riverfront garden, open to the public, was painted twice on his London visit by Canaletto (looking up- and downriver), it was used for storage, as a residence for visiting overseas dignitaries and as a barracks for troops. Suffering from neglect, Old Somerset House began to be demolished in 1775.[5]: 63 

Somerset House (Sir William Chambers, 1776)

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Crown Lands Act 1775
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long titleAn Act for settling Buckingham House, with the Appurtenances, upon the Queen, in case She shall survive His Majesty, in lieu of His Majesty's Palace of Somerset House; for enabling the Lords, Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury to sell and dispose of Ely House in Holborn, and for applying the Money to arise by Sale thereof, together with other Monies, in erecting and establishing Publick Offices in Somerset House; and for embanking certain Parts of the River Thames, lying within the Bounds of the Manor of The Savoy, and for other Purposes therein mentioned.
Citation15 Geo. 3. c. 33
Territorial extent Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent26 May 1775
Commencement29 November 1774[a]
Other legislation
AmendsProvision for the Queen Act 1761
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
The south wing of Chambers' Somerset House

Since the middle of the 18th century there had been growing criticism that London had no great public buildings. Government departments and the learned societies were huddled away in small old buildings all over the city. Developing national pride found comparison with the capitals of continental Europe disquieting. Edmund Burke was the leading proponent of the scheme for a "national building", and in 1775 Parliament passed an act, the Crown Lands Act 1775 (15 Geo. 3. c. 33), for the purpose of, inter alia, "erecting and establishing Publick Offices in Somerset House, and for embanking Parts of the River Thames lying within the bounds of the Manor of Savoy". The list of public offices mentioned in the act comprised "The Salt Office, The Stamp Office, The Tax Office, The Navy Office, The Navy Victualling Office, The Publick Lottery Office, The Hawkers and Pedlar Office, The Hackney Coach Office, The Surveyor General of the Crown Lands Office, The Auditors of the Imprest Office, The Pipe Office, The Office of the Duchy of Lancaster, The Office of the Duchy of Cornwall, The Office of Ordnance, The King's Bargemaster's House, The King's Bargehouses".[22]

Somerset House was still technically a royal palace and therefore Crown property, with most work being done by the King's Master Mason, John Deval.[23] The building had been placed in trust for the use of Queen Charlotte in the event that her husband King George III predeceased her. Therefore, the 1775 act annulled this arrangement and instead provided for another property, Buckingham House, to be vested in trust for the Queen on the same terms. (Provision was made for the King, who had privately purchased Buckingham House some years earlier, to be duly compensated). In due course, the King outlived the Queen and the property (later known as Buckingham Palace) reverted "to the use of His Majesty, his heirs and successors".[24] By virtue of the same act, Ely House in Holborn (which had itself been purchased just a few years earlier as a potential site for new public offices) was sold and the proceeds applied to the Somerset House project.[25]

Initially a certain William Robinson, Secretary to the Board of Works, was commissioned to design and build the new Somerset House, but he died in 1775 shortly after being appointed.[26] So Sir William Chambers, Comptroller of the King's Works, (who had in any case been vying for the commission)[26] was appointed in his stead, at a salary of £2,000 per year. He spent the last two decades of his life, beginning in 1775, in several phases of building at the present Somerset House. Thomas Telford, then a stonemason, but later an eminent civil engineer, was among those who worked on its construction. One of Chambers's most famous pupils, Thomas Hardwick Jnr, helped build parts of the building during his period of training and later wrote a short biography of Chambers. The design influenced other great buildings: Charles Bulfinch's Massachusetts State House, begun in 1795, has been described as a work "frankly derivative" of Somerset House.[27]

Design

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Somerset House in 1828

Chambers' own influences stemmed from Palladianism, the principles of which were applied throughout Somerset House, inside and outside, both in its large-scale conception and in its small-scale details.[28] The footprint of the building was that of the old palace, ranging from its gateway block in the Strand across what was originally a gently sloping site down to the river. Chambers experimented with at least four different configurations of buildings and courtyards in drawing up his designs; his final version provided a single courtyard, 300 ft (91 m) by 200 ft (61 m), flanked by a pair of terraces, the whole presenting a unified frontage to the river, 500 feet (150 m) wide. Around the courtyard, each block consisted of six storeys: cellar, basement, ground, principal, attic and garret. The public offices and learned societies which were accommodated around the courtyard varied greatly in size, but each occupied all six floors of its allotted area, the upper floors often providing living space for a secretary or other official. Large vaults for storing public documents were provided, extending under the entire northern section of the courtyard.[28]

Construction

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Night view from beneath the Strand entrance

The North Wing, fronting the Strand, was the first part of the complex to be built; its design was based on Inigo Jones's drawings for the riverfront of the former palace. By 1780 the North Wing was finished and occupied, and Chambers reported to Parliament that the rest of the quadrangle was complete up to a height of two storeys.[29] Construction of the riverside wing followed; it was finished in 1786. At the time of construction, the Thames was not embanked and the river lapped the South Wing, where a great arch allowed boats and barges to penetrate to landing places within the building.[5]: 68  Meanwhile, work continued on the East and West Wings, which began to be occupied from 1788;[30] by 1790 the main quadrangle was complete.[29]

It was originally envisaged that the main quadrangle would be flanked by two terraces of houses, one to the east and one to the west, providing accommodation for several of the Commissioners whose offices were based there.[31] It is not certain at what pace the rest of the construction progressed, but it is clear that the outbreak of war with France in 1793 caused delays through lack of money. Chambers died in 1796, whereupon James Wyatt took over as architect. In the end, only the western terrace was built and by 1801 the building was deemed to be complete, at a cost of £462,323.[30]

In 1815 Sir Robert Smirke was appointed as Attached Architect to Somerset House; in 1817 he added the Legacy Duty Office to the north-west corner of the quadrangle, its design in keeping with Chambers's adjacent façade.[26] Even as late as 1819, decorative work to the exterior of the North Wing was still being completed.[29]

Ornamentation

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In addition to applying a rich scheme of architectural decoration, Chambers enhanced the exterior of Somerset House with a multiplicity of sculptures and other visual embellishments. Giovanni Cipriani produced designs and the sculptors executing them included Joseph Wilton, Agostino Carlini, John Bacon, Joseph Nollekens, John Cheere and Giuseppe Ceracchi.[29] Bacon oversaw production of the bronze group of statues (consisting of Neptune and George III) in the main courtyard, facing the main entrance from the Strand.[29]

Inside, most of the offices were plain and business-like, but in the North Wing the formal rooms and public spaces of the learned societies were enriched with painted ceilings (by Cipriani, Benjamin West, Angelica Kauffman, J. F. Rigaud, Charles Catton and Joshua Reynolds), ornamental plasterwork (by Thomas Collins and Thomas Clerk) and casts of classical sculptures.[28] John Papworth did the plasterwork in the great Royal Academy Room;[32] many of the ceiling paintings were removed by the Royal Academy when they vacated their premises.[33]

Accommodation

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A key reason for rebuilding Somerset House was to provide accommodation for a diverse variety of learned societies, public offices and naval administrators.[5]: 63 

A home for arts and learning

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The Exhibition Room at Somerset House by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Charles Pugin (1800). This room is now part of the Courtauld Gallery.

The North Wing of Somerset House was initially fitted out to house the Royal Academy, the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries. The Royal Academy took up residence first, in 1779, followed by the other two institutions the following year. The Royal Academy occupied the western half of the wing and the Royal Society the eastern half; their main entrances faced each other across the central vestibule leading from the Strand to the courtyard, topped by busts (of Michelangelo and Isaac Newton respectively) which are still in place today. The Society of Antiquaries was also accommodated in the eastern half of the wing, though its premises were limited to a first-floor meeting room, a ground-floor library, an apartment in the attic and a kitchen in the basement.[34]

The Geological Society was also accommodated in the Somerset House from 1828,[35] as was the Royal Astronomical Society from 1834.[36]

The annual Royal Academy Exhibition was held in Somerset House from 1780 onwards,[5]: 75  until the academy moved out in 1837 (initially to rooms in the new National Gallery, then to Burlington House, Piccadilly). Its former accommodation was given over to a newly established Government School of Design (which was much later to become the Royal College of Art); it remained in the complex from 1837 until, in 1853, the Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths needed to expand its office space and the School relocated to Marlborough House.[37]

In 1857, the Royal Society moved out of Somerset House, followed in 1874 by the Society of Antiquaries, the Geological Society and the Royal Astronomical Society; they were all provided with new purpose-built accommodation in Burlington House.[30]

The Navy Office

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The Navy Stair (later renamed the 'Nelson Stair') which leads to the old Navy Boardroom.

In 1789 the Navy Board moved into grand riverside rooms in the western half of the newly completed South Wing. It was soon followed by its subsidiary Boards, the Victualling Commissioners and the Sick and Hurt Commissioners, which (along with the autonomous Navy Pay Office) occupied the West Wing; they had all hitherto been based in the City of London. Thus the various Navy offices occupied around a third of Chambers' completed building.[38] In addition, the terrace to the west of the quadrangle provided dwelling-houses for the Comptroller of the Navy, the Secretary to the Board and three Commissioners of the Navy, along with the chairman, Secretary and two Commissioners of Victualling,[29] with the Treasurer of the Navy allotted the 'mansion' at the river end of the terrace (which included a coach house and stables for ten horses in the vaults under the terrace).[28] As well as providing office space and accommodation, Somerset House was the place where examinations for promotion to the rank of lieutenant took place, sat by several hundred midshipmen each year.[26] The Admiralty Museum (a precursor to the National Maritime Museum) was also accommodated there, in the central room above the south portico.[26]

In 1832 the Navy Board and its subsidiaries were abolished and their departments placed under the direct oversight of the Admiralty. Their administrative staff remained in Somerset House, but communications with the Admiralty (based a mile away in Whitehall) were problematic as what became known as the "civil departments" of the Admiralty guarded their independence. In 1868, the Admiralty took the decision to move all their staff from Somerset House to Whitehall; this necessitated reconfiguring what had been a set of residences there pertaining to the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty into office accommodation.[39] Nevertheless, the move was completed by 1873, and the expanding Inland Revenue immediately took over the vacated space in Somerset House.[30]

Taxes, stamps and the Inland Revenue

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The Stamp Office, Somerset House: the basement stamping room.

From the beginning of the new Somerset House there was a fiscal presence in the shape of the Stamp Office and the Tax Office, the former occupying the eastern part of the South Wing from 1789 and the latter occupying part of the East Wing. The Stamp Office had the task of applying an impressed duty stamp to various specific items to show that the required duty had been paid. For example, up until 1855 (when the relevant duty was abolished) every newspaper produced in the country had to be brought to Somerset House to be stamped.[40] The Tax Office administered and collected various taxes, including income tax (first levied in 1799). Introduced as a means of raising revenue in wartime, it was collected during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars; though repealed in 1816, it was reintroduced in peacetime (in 1842) and has been collected ever since.[41]

The Inland Revenue was created by a merger of the Stamp and Taxes Office and the Excise Office in 1849; in 1854 the Excise Office staff were moved from their old headquarters in the City of London into the newly built New Wing.[42]

Somerset House continued in use by the Inland Revenue throughout the 20th century. In 2005, the Inland Revenue was merged with HM Customs and Excise; its successor HM Revenue & Customs continued to occupy much of the building, although its executive and senior management moved to 100 Parliament Street shortly after the merger. Various divisions and directorates of HMRC continued to occupy the East Wing until 2009, the West Wing until 2011 and the New Wing until March 2013, by which time all staff had been relocated (with most moving across the street to the southwest wing of Bush House). This brought to an end a 224-year association of the revenue services with Somerset House.[43]

Somerset House Laboratory

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In 1842, the Excise Office had established a laboratory within its Broad Street headquarters for the prevention of the adulteration of tobacco products. It had started as basically a one-man operation by an employee of the Excise, George Phillips. After the Excise Office had been merged with the Office of Stamps and Taxes to form the Inland Revenue, the latter took over the laboratory; by 1858 it was reestablished in Somerset House as the Inland Revenue Laboratory (with Phillips remaining in charge). It was also known as the Somerset House Laboratory. Under the Inland Revenue, the Laboratory's work expanded to encompass the testing of many different substances, including food, beer and spirits, as well as tobacco.[44]

Phillips retired as principal chemist in 1874. James Bell was then the principal chemist of Somerset House Laboratory until his retirement in 1894.[45] He was replaced as principal chemist by Sir Thomas Edward Thorpe. At the same time, the laboratory was amalgamated with a similar facility that had been established within HM Customs and it was renamed the Government Laboratory. In 1897, Thorpe moved the Government Laboratory from Somerset House to a new building of his own design.[46]

Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths

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In 1837, following the establishment of civil registration in the United Kingdom, the Registrar General of Births, Marriages and Deaths set up his office in the North Wing of Somerset House, establishing a connection that lasted for over 130 years. This office held all birth, marriage and death certificates in England and Wales until 1970, when the Registry and its associated archives were moved to nearby St Catherine's House at Aldwych.[47]

From 1859 until 1998, the Principal Registry of the Court of Probate (latterly the Principal Probate Registry of the Family Division) was based in Somerset House, prior to its move to First Avenue House, High Holborn.[48]

Other public offices

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In addition to the learned societies, the ground floor rooms of the North Wing housed the Hawkers and Pedlars Office (on the west side) and the Hackney Coach Office, the Lottery Office, the Privy Seal and Signet Offices (on the east side).[49] The Hackney Coach commissioners had been established on a permanent footing in 1694,[50] while the Board of Commissioners of Hawkers, Pedlars and Petty Chapmen dated from 1698;[51] the latter was abolished in 1810 and its work taken over by the Hackney Coach Office until its abolition in 1831, whereupon responsibility for licensing both of hackney carriages and of travelling traders passed to the Stamp Office. The Lottery Office, established in 1779, was also abolished in 1831 and its residual business likewise passed to the Stamp Office.[52] The Signet Office was abolished in 1851 and the Privy Seal Office in 1884.[53]

One of the first occupants of the building had been the Duchy of Cornwall Office. It was accommodated in the East Wing along with the Tax Office and various Exchequer offices (including the Pipe Office, the Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer's Office and the Office of the Clerk of the Estreats). As early as 1795 the Exchequer was requesting that more space be made available; Sir John Soane was engaged to redesign their offices, and as part of the scheme the Duchy was relocated to another part of the East Wing, prompting complaints from its officers.[54] Pipe rolls and other ancient records of the Treasury and Exchequer (which had been moved to Somerset House from the Palace of Westminster in 1793) remained stored in the basements until the establishment of the Public Record Office in 1838.[55]

The office of Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer ceased to exist in 1833 and the Pipe Office was abolished in 1834; however space in Somerset House continued to be at a premium: in 1854 an act of Parliament, the Duchy of Cornwall Office Act 1854 (17 & 18 Vict. c. 93), was passed, noting that the Duchy's rooms in Somerset House were now needed "for the use of the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, whose present office is insufficient for the Business thereof, and adjoins the said Office of the Duchy of Cornwall". The act provided for the Duchy Office to move to new, purpose-built premises in Pimlico: now known as 10 Buckingham Gate, the building still serves as head office for the Duchy.[56]

From 1785 the Commissioners for Auditing Public Accounts were also housed in the East Wing,[26] as was the Duchy of Lancaster Office (having moved there from accommodation in Gray's Inn) until it moved in 1823 to new offices across the road in Lancaster Place.[57] The Surveyor of Crown Lands also had his office here until the early 19th century. The Salt Office initially occupied rooms in the West Wing, alongside the naval offices, but it was abolished in 1798 (administration of the salt tax having been transferred to the Board of Excise).[49]

During the 19th century the North Wing contained, in addition, the offices of the Poor Law Commissioners (1834–47)[58] and the Tithe Commissioners (1836–51),[59] who also acted as the Copyhold Commissioners.[26]

19th-century expansion

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Part of the New Wing (main entrance facing Lancaster Place), built in the 1850s.

Magnificent as the new building was, it was something short of what Chambers had intended, for he had planned for an additional terrace of houses to the east, as well as to the west of the quadrangle; work had stopped short, however, cost being the inhibiting factor. Eventually King's College London was erected to the east (the government granting the land on condition that the design conformed to Chambers' original design) by subscription between 1829 and 1834;[60] the architect was Sir Robert Smirke.[26] At the same time, as part of Smirke's scheme, the eastern third of the river frontage was completed, following Chambers's original design.[28]

Then, increasing demand for space led to another and last step. The western edge of the site was occupied by a row of houses used as dwellings for Admiralty officials who worked in the South Wing. Between 1851 and 1856, this terrace was substantially expanded and remodelled to provide the Inland Revenue with an entire new wing of additional office accommodation. As part of this development, its architect James Pennethorne created a monumental new façade alongside the approach road to Waterloo Bridge (which had not been in existence when Chambers was alive).[26] 150 years later this part of the building is still known as the "New Wing".[61]

In 1891 a headquarters building was constructed in the West Court (between the West Wing and the New Wing) for the Civil Service Rifles, a Rifle Volunteer Corps.[62]

20th-century modifications

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Civil Service Rifles War Memorial: installed in the main courtyard in 1919, relocated to the Terrace in 2002.

By the start of the First World War the Civil Service Rifles, by then renamed the 15th (Prince of Wales' Own Civil Service Rifles) Battalion, The London Regiment,[63][64] had its own Morris tube firing range (where the calibre of the rifle is reduced for indoor operation by a use of a tube) fitted with vanishing and running targets at Somerset House.[65]

Somerset House had its share of trials and tribulations during the London blitz in the Second World War. Apart from comparatively minor blast effects at various times, sixteen rooms and the handsome rotunda staircase (the Nelson Stair) were completely destroyed in the South Wing, and a further 27 damaged in the West Wing by a direct hit in October 1940.[66]

Still more windows were shattered and balustrades toppled, but the worst was over by the end of May 1941. It was not until the 1950s that this damage to the South Wing was repaired. The work required skilled masons, whose services were hard to come by in the early post-war years. Sir Albert Richardson was appointed architect for the reconstruction. He skillfully recreated the Nelson Room and rebuilt the Nelson Stair. The work was completed in 1952 at a cost of (then) £84,000.[66]

Somerset House Act 1984
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long titleAn Act to confer leasing powers on the Crown in respect of the Fine Rooms and other parts of Somerset House with a view to their use for artistic, cultural or other purposes.
Citation1984 c. 21
Dates
Royal assent26 June 1984
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Somerset House Act 1984 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

In 1984 the Somerset House Act 1984 (c. 21) was passed, legislating the way for Somerset House to be redeveloped as a centre for the arts. In 1997 the Somerset House Trust was established as a registered charity[67] to maintain the building and develop it as a centre for arts and culture.[43]

In the late 20th century the building began to be reinvigorated as a centre for the visual arts. The first institution to move in (in 1989) was the Courtauld Institute of Art, including the Courtauld Gallery, which has an important collection of old master and impressionist paintings. The Courtauld occupies the North Wing.[5]: 85 

21st-century redevelopment

[edit]
The dancing fountains were installed in the 1990s.

The main courtyard, which had been used as a Civil Service car park, and the main terrace overlooking the Thames were refurbished and opened to the public, these alterations being overseen by the conservation architects Donald Insall & Associates. Grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund financed the conversion of the South Wing between 1999 and 2003: a visitor centre featuring audio-visual displays on the history of the building, the gilded state barge of the Lord Mayor of the City of London and a shop and café were opened, overlooking the river. The Gilbert Collection of decorative arts, and the Hermitage Rooms, which staged exhibitions of items loaned from the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, moved into the same area.[68] The last Hermitage exhibition took place in 2007 and the Gilbert Collection galleries closed in 2008; the collection moved into new galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum in June 2009. Somerset House now puts on a programme of art exhibitions, drawing on various sources.[69]

In stages from 2009 to 2013, HM Revenue and Customs withdrew from the other parts of the building; since March 2013 the Somerset House Trust has had oversight of the entire complex. Its management policy has been to rent out the upper floors at a commercial rate to "creative businesses", while devoting the ground floor to "public realm" activities. The trust receives no public subsidy and relies on income from rent and private hire to fund the upkeep of the estate and relies on ticket sales, merchandising and sponsorship to fund its artistic and cultural programme.[43]

The ice-skating rink at Somerset House during Christmas 2004.

In the winter the central courtyard is home to a popular open-air ice rink, as seen during the opening credits of the 2003 Christmas-themed film Love Actually.[70] At other times, 55 vertical jets of water rise to random heights from an array of fountains.[71]

The post-rock band Mogwai playing live at Somerset House.

The courtyard is also used as a concert venue.[72] In July each year the "Summer series" of music events takes place, which has included performances from artists such as Lily Allen.[5]: 123 

Somerset House now has more than a hundred tenants, comprising a large and diverse collection of creative organisations and artists including Dance Umbrella, 7Wonder, Hofesh Shechter Company and the Royal Society of Literature.[73] The largest tenant is King's College London, whose Cultural Institute, Executive Centre and Dickson Poon School of Law occupy the East Wing, which is adjacent to its historic College Building of 1831.[74]

Filming location

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Somerset House is a popular filming location, with its exterior featuring in several big-budget Hollywood films. These include two James Bond films, GoldenEye (1995) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997),[75][76] and several scenes of the 2003 film Shanghai Knights, starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, were filmed in the courtyard of Somerset House.[77][78] The courtyard was also used in the 1991 comedy King Ralph.[79] Elements of the 2008 film The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes, were filmed in October 2007.[80] Somerset House was also used as a filming location in several Sherlock Holmes films, including The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), directed by Billy Wilder, and Sherlock Holmes (2009), starring Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr., directed by Guy Ritchie.[81][82] Somerset House was used as the external filming location for Olivia Newton-John's Stranger's Touch video, which featured as part of her Olivia Physical video album in 1981.[83]

Exterior shots of Somerset House were used in the 1999 Tim Burton horror film Sleepy Hollow, starring Johnny Depp, and the 2006 film Flyboys.[84][85] Somerset House was a filming location in the 2012 Bollywood film Jab Tak Hai Jaan, which starred Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, directed by Yash Chopra.[86] Somerset House Courtyard was also used in the 2008 movie Last Chance Harvey, with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson.[87] Scenes were filmed in Somerset House for the Olympus Has Fallen sequel, London Has Fallen (2016).[88] Exterior shots of Somerset House stood in for Himmler's HQ in Berlin in the 1976 film The Eagle Has Landed.[89] The tunnels under Somerset House have also been used in the Harry Potter films, specifically some of scenes depicting 'Diagon Alley'.[90]

Somerset House was also the main location for the BBC's New Year Live television show, presented by Natasha Kaplinsky, which celebrated the arrival of the year 2006.[91]

Fire

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On 17 August 2024, the London Fire Brigade responded to a large fire at the location which originated at the building's roof.[92][93] The building's management said that the fire occurred in the structure's west wing, which did not contain artworks and was instead home to offices and related facilities.[94]

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Somerset House

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Somerset House is a grand Neoclassical complex of buildings located on the south side of the Strand in , , directly overlooking the River Thames. Designed primarily by the architect Sir William Chambers, the current structure was constructed between 1776 and 1801 on the site of a former Tudor palace that originated in 1547. The original Somerset House was initiated by Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset and during the reign of his nephew, King Edward VI, as a lavish riverside residence that incorporated stone from demolished ecclesiastical sites, including the charnel house of St. Mary-le-Strand. After Seymour's execution in 1552 for treason, the palace passed through royal hands, serving as a favored residence for queens such as , Mary I, and , and later undergoing significant renovations under in the early 17th century with contributions from . By the mid-18th century, the aging structure had fallen into disrepair and was deemed unsuitable for continued royal use, leading to its demolition starting in 1775 to make way for a new public office complex intended to consolidate government functions previously scattered across the city. Chambers' design, executed in with a symmetrical quadrangle layout featuring a central block flanked by wings, exemplifies late 18th-century British , drawing inspiration from French and Italian precedents while incorporating innovative elements like the grand river facade. The project, one of the largest public buildings erected in at the time, housed key naval and revenue offices, including the and Stamp Office, until the 20th century when many functions relocated. Notable later additions include the completion of the in 1829 and modifications for the in the 1860s, which altered the original Thames frontage. Since 2000, Somerset House has transformed into a vibrant cultural and artistic hub, hosting exhibitions, events, and festivals that connect creativity with public engagement, while marking its 25th anniversary in this role in 2025. The North Wing accommodates , home to one of the world's premier collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, including masterpieces by Van Gogh, Monet, and Cézanne, which relocated there in 1989. The site's open courtyards feature a neoclassical fountain and host seasonal activities like , underscoring its evolution from royal and administrative seat to a dynamic center for innovation and the arts.

Site History

Medieval and Tudor Origins

The site of Somerset House in London originated in the medieval period as a collection of ecclesiastical inns along the Strand, primarily the Chester Inn, established in the 15th century as the London residence of the Bishops of Chester. Archaeological evidence, including a large cesspit uncovered in 2019, confirms the presence of high-status medieval activity at the site, associated with these bishops' properties and visitors to their households before the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539. Adjacent inns belonging to the Bishops of Llandaff, Lichfield and Coventry, and Worcester also occupied the area, forming part of the pre-Tudor landscape of noble and clerical residences overlooking the River Thames. In 1547, Edward Seymour, uncle to the young King Edward VI and recently elevated to and , acquired the site by demolishing these bishops' inns without compensation to their owners. Construction of the new palace began shortly thereafter, around 1547–1549, under the direction of the Italian engineer John of Padua, who introduced early elements to English . The project utilized salvaged materials from recently dissolved religious institutions, including stone from the charnel-house of and the Priory of St. John of Jerusalem, reflecting the widespread repurposing of monastic resources during the . The palace, costing over £10,000, covered approximately 600 by 500 feet and featured a large central quadrangle known as the Upper Court, surrounded by extensive outbuildings and private apartments. The Tudor palace's riverfront range included a grand for banqueting, a for royal devotions, and privy chambers for private audiences, with state rooms accessed via a prominent large staircase. The layout extended to terraced gardens descending to the Thames, adorned with gravel walks, tree-lined avenues, iron gates, a central , and statues of classical deities, providing both recreational space and a display of status. A tiltyard for and military exercises completed the ensemble, emphasizing the palace's role as a center of courtly and martial life. Somerset's fall from power led to his execution for on January 22, 1552, at the , after which the nearly completed palace reverted to the Crown. Under , it was assigned as a residence to his half-sister Princess Elizabeth, who occupied it during periods of favor and confinement. Following Edward's death in 1553, Mary I used the palace briefly before her own passing in 1558, after which made it her primary residence, hosting diplomatic events and court functions there until her death in 1603.

17th and 18th Century Palace

After Elizabeth I's death in 1603, James I granted the palace to his consort , who renamed it Denmark House and made it her principal residence. Anne oversaw significant renovations to modernize the structure, including works directed by , establishing it as a vibrant center for Jacobean court entertainments, masques, and diplomatic activities such as the 1604 that ended the Anglo-Spanish War. Following the accession of Charles I in 1625, his queen consort established her primary residence at Somerset House, transforming it into a center of Catholic worship and French-influenced culture amid a predominantly Protestant . She commissioned the architect , serving as Surveyor of the King's Works, to undertake significant expansions and renovations during the 1630s, including the addition of state apartments, gardens, and a prominent riverfront wing to enhance the palace's grandeur and functionality. A key feature of these developments was the construction of a lavish Roman Catholic chapel between 1630 and 1635, designed by Jones as a double-cube structure with a rustic arcade and Corinthian columns facing the Thames, serving not only as a private space for Henrietta Maria's devotions but also incorporating a friary for her Capuchin friars. This , one of the earliest classical buildings in , symbolized the queen's faith and her efforts to promote continental artistic influences, though it drew controversy for its overt Catholic elements. The expansions under Jones elevated Somerset House to a symbol of Stuart opulence, with detailed plans for the Strand and river facades emphasizing and Palladian proportions. The disrupted royal use of the palace in the 1640s, as arian forces occupied and damaged the structure during conflicts, leading to partial repairs amid its temporary abandonment; in 1649, attempted to sell the property but found no buyers, allowing it to fall into further disrepair. During the period, Somerset House was occupied by Parliamentary forces and used as a ; Oliver Cromwell's body lay in state there in 1658 following his death at . Upon the Restoration in 1660, Charles II reclaimed the palace for royal use, though it saw limited occupation compared to earlier Stuart eras, with his Portuguese wife preferring other residences. In the early 18th century, Somerset House experienced a brief resurgence under the Georgians when Queen Caroline, consort of George II, occupied it from 1727 until her death in 1737, utilizing it for court entertainments and as part of her substantial annual allowance that included the palace's upkeep. Following the of 1688 and accelerating after Caroline's tenure, the building entered a prolonged decline marked by neglect, partial demolitions of outdated wings, and piecemeal conversion to government offices starting in the , including spaces for the Stamp Office responsible for administering stamp duties on legal documents and newspapers. By the mid-18th century, much of the palace served utilitarian purposes for fiscal and naval administration, reflecting its shift from royal splendor to bureaucratic utility. This event, coupled with growing demands for centralized government accommodation, led to the decision by and to the remains and reconstruct the site in a unified neoclassical style under a new architect.

Demolition and Transition

In the mid-1770s, the dilapidated state of the old Somerset House prompted parliamentary action to repurpose the site for modern administrative needs. On 26 May 1775, passed the Crown Lands Act (15 Geo. 3. c. 33), which authorized to exchange lands and erect offices on the premises, including provisions for the existing structure and embanking the adjacent . provided royal consent later that year, enabling the transformation of the former royal palace into the first purpose-built complex for government departments. commenced in earnest in 1775, marking the end of the Tudor and Stuart-era building after over two centuries of use. The demolition process was conducted in phases to minimize disruption and support the ongoing construction of the replacement, with parts of the old palace retained temporarily as the new neoclassical framework was built around it. This approach allowed for the salvage and reuse of materials from the decaying structure, though the site's central location in posed logistical challenges, including the need to clear debris while coordinating with nearby urban development. Occupants such as the , which had been based there since the early , faced relocation to temporary accommodations elsewhere in the during site clearance, ensuring continuity of naval administration amid the upheaval. This transition reflected broader socio-political changes under George III's reign, as the site shifted from a symbol of monarchical privilege to a hub for public fiscal and naval governance, underscoring the expanding bureaucratic demands of the British state in the era of Enlightenment reforms and imperial growth. The project, debated extensively in and the press, symbolized a commitment to rational, centralized administration over outdated royal extravagance.

Architectural Design

Chambers' Neoclassical Scheme

In 1775, Sir William Chambers was appointed as the lead architect for the reconstruction of Somerset House, a prestigious commission following the death of the initial designer, William Robinson, in October of that year. Chambers, already a prominent figure in British architecture and a founder of the Royal Academy, drew upon a synthesis of stylistic influences to craft his 1776 plan, blending the balanced proportions and symmetry of English Palladianism—rooted in the works of and Lord Burlington—with the refined elegance of encountered during his travels in and . He further incorporated elements from , such as grand columnar orders and monumental scaling, to evoke imperial grandeur suitable for a public edifice on the Thames. The core layout of Chambers' scheme centered on a majestic central block facing the River Thames, characterized by a sweeping river facade that emphasized and imposing scale to dominate the waterfront vista. This block was flanked by east and west wings, forming a U-shaped around a spacious , with the north wing along the Strand providing additional office spaces while maintaining overall harmonic proportions. The prioritized grandeur through repetitive motifs like Corinthian pilasters and pediments, creating a unified neoclassical composition that projected state authority and civic pride. Chambers envisioned Somerset House as a multifunctional complex to house key institutions, including the for administrative oversight of maritime affairs, the Royal Academy of Arts for exhibitions and education, and learned societies such as the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries. This arrangement integrated public galleries and ceremonial spaces with private offices, allowing for seamless transitions between official duties and cultural activities while underscoring the building's role in Enlightenment-era intellectual and governmental life. Among the scheme's innovations, Chambers specified the use of durable for the facades, ensuring longevity and a luminous finish that enhanced the neoclassical aesthetic under London's variable light. He incorporated grand internal staircases, notably the cantilevered Navy Stair in the south wing, which spiraled elegantly to connect multiple levels and symbolized administrative ascent. Symbolic elements evoking naval power, such as sculpted Tritons and marine motifs in the pediments and niches, reinforced the building's thematic ties to Britain's maritime empire.

Construction Phases

Construction of the neoclassical Somerset House commenced in 1776 under the direction of Sir William Chambers, following the demolition of the previous palace structure in 1775. Foundations were laid that year, marking the start of a major public works project intended to consolidate various government offices along the Thames. The building was executed in distinct phases to accommodate ongoing administrative needs, with the north wing—facing the Strand—completed by 1779, allowing the Royal Academy of Arts to occupy it immediately thereafter. The riverside block, forming the south wing along the , followed and was finished in , providing essential space for naval and fiscal departments. This phase involved significant engineering efforts to stabilize the structure on the unstable riverbank, where soft alluvial soils necessitated deep foundations to prevent ; later assessments noted that these early foundations pushed contemporary Georgian techniques to their limits, influencing subsequent Thames-side constructions. The east and west wings were then added by , enclosing the central quadrangle and integrating the complex into a unified neoclassical ensemble. Subcontractors handled specialized elements, though the core and structural work remained under Chambers' oversight until his retirement in 1795. Progress was hampered by financial constraints and logistical challenges, particularly after the outbreak of the in 1793, which diverted public funds and caused material shortages; labor disruptions arose as workers were conscripted or redirected to military needs during the ensuing Napoleonic conflicts. Chambers' death in 1796 further slowed momentum, with assuming supervision until the project's conclusion. Despite these setbacks, the main structure was deemed complete by 1801, at a of £462,323—far exceeding initial estimates and reflecting the scale of the endeavor. Interiors for various occupants, including the and Stamp Office, were fitted out progressively in the years following, adapting spaces to their specific administrative functions.

Ornamentation and Features

The exterior ornamentation of Somerset House prominently features neoclassical sculptures that underscore its historical ties to naval administration. In the 1780s, Joseph Wilton, a founding member of the Royal Academy, designed much of the sea-themed decoration for the South Wing, including pairs of Tritons supporting vases adorned with naval emblems such as laurel leaves, sails, flagstaffs, balls and chains, hooks, and fish in the entrance niches. These flankers, carved in , symbolize Britain's maritime power and the building's role as headquarters for the . The south pediment includes a depicting Father Thames and the , further emphasizing the riverine and commercial context of the site, with motifs of abundance and trade executed in a delicate neoclassical style. Additional exterior details incorporate for durable, weather-resistant elements like keystones along the facade, designed by Cipriani and carved by various sculptors including Wilton; this artificial stone, a fired mixture, allowed for intricate detailing that has endured since the late . Decorative railings, featuring classical balusters and maritime-inspired finials, enclose the and enhance the building's elegant symmetry. Inside, Chambers' design highlights include the grand staircase in the Strand Block, a sweeping neoclassical feature with ornate lanterns providing dramatic illumination and guiding visitors to upper levels. The council chamber, originally for the , boasts fitted joinery with carved panels and fireplaces in mahogany, reflecting administrative grandeur, while the adjacent library for the Royal Society features bespoke shelving and neoclassical moldings designed by Chambers himself to accommodate scholarly collections. The cantilevered Navy Stair was restored following a in the west wing in August 2024, with renovations completed by December 2024. Post-construction, some decorations evolved with minor additions like enhanced on interior fittings in the 1790s to align with changing tenancies, though the core scheme remained intact. Throughout, symbolic motifs draw heavily on maritime themes—tritons, anchors, and river deities—to honor the naval occupancy, integrating allegory with architectural form in a manner typical of Chambers' Palladian influences.

Historical Occupancies

Royal and Early Government Use

Upon completion of the Strand Block in 1780, Somerset House's initial occupancy emphasized its role as a hub for royal patronage of the arts and learning, with the Royal Academy of Arts being granted purpose-built apartments on a 999-year lease at a nominal rent of £1 per annum. These spaces included galleries for the annual Summer Exhibitions, a library, and schools for painting, sculpture, and architecture, hosting the Academy's first exhibition there from May 1, 1780, which drew large crowds and established the venue as a key cultural landmark. The exhibitions became prominent social occasions, attended by King George III, Queen Charlotte, and the royal family, as depicted in Johann Heinrich Ramberg's 1788 painting showing them viewing artworks amid fashionable crowds. The building's design also incorporated provisions for royal use, placed in trust for Queen Charlotte should George III predecease her, reflecting its origins as a potential residence following the 1775 that authorized the demolition of the old palace and construction of the new complex for public purposes. Although Queen Charlotte never resided there—preferring Buckingham House as the couple's primary home—the trust underscored Somerset House's enduring ties to the . Early administrative allocations included spaces for the Royal Society and Society of Antiquaries in the North Wing from 1780, marking the onset of government-sanctioned institutional occupancy under royal oversight. Public access to the Royal Academy exhibitions was relatively open, with affordable tickets attracting a broad audience, though restrictions applied to non-exhibition areas to maintain security and exclusivity for official functions. The Academy's tenancy endured until 1837, when it relocated to to accommodate the expanding , signaling a shift toward predominant administrative use. Following the completion of key phases in Sir William Chambers' neoclassical design, the Navy Board began its relocation to Somerset House in 1786, transitioning from its previous location at to more spacious accommodations overlooking the Thames. By 1788, most offices were ready for occupation, with the Board fully installed in the South Wing by 1789, alongside subsidiary bodies such as the Victualling Commissioners and the Sick and Hurt Board. The Navy Board occupied approximately one-third of the site, utilizing dedicated board rooms for meetings and extensive storage areas for naval records, charts, and correspondence. This centralization facilitated oversight of critical functions, including contracts at royal dockyards, procurement of timber, canvas, and armaments, and coordination of naval logistics during the late 18th-century wars against . Parallel to the naval administration, Somerset House housed several fiscal offices responsible for revenue collection, reflecting the building's role as a hub for . The Stamp Office relocated there in 1789, administering duties on legal documents, newspapers, playing cards, and other printed materials until the early , when its operations peaked before mergers in the . From the late , related tax offices, including precursors to the Board of , managed internal duties on goods like salt, , and spirits, as well as some customs-related processes tied to Thames port activities. These fiscal entities handled the collection and auditing of duties, contributing significantly to wartime revenues, with clerks processing receipts and enforcing compliance through regional networks. Daily operations at Somerset House buzzed with administrative activity, employing up to 300 clerical staff across the naval and fiscal departments by the early . Navy Board clerks managed correspondence, accounts, and supply requisitions, often coordinating directly with shipping on the Thames for the delivery of provisions, , and materials to support the fleet. Fiscal staff similarly oversaw ledger entries, duty assessments, and inspections of incoming vessels, fostering a dynamic interface between the building's riverside location and London's burgeoning trade. This workforce operated in a hierarchical structure, with principal officers directing junior clerks in routine tasks amid the neoclassical halls. The Navy Board's prominence waned with broader reforms to naval administration; it was abolished in 1832 under the Greek Committee recommendations, transferring its functions to Admiralty principal officers and resulting in partial vacancies across Somerset House's southern sections. While some naval pay and victualling remnants lingered briefly, the space gradually shifted toward other government uses, marking the end of centralized naval oversight at the site.

Scientific and Civil Registries

In the 19th century, Somerset House served as a hub for key administrative and scientific functions, particularly through the General Register Office and the Government Laboratory, which advanced civil record-keeping and chemical analysis respectively. The General Register Office (GRO) was founded in 1836 under the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836, with mandatory civil registration of births, deaths, and marriages beginning on July 1, 1837, across England and Wales. Housed in the North Wing of Somerset House from 1837 until 1974, the GRO marked a pivotal shift from parish-based records to a secular, centralized national system designed to improve public health monitoring and demographic statistics. Thomas Henry Lister, appointed as the first Registrar General in 1836, oversaw its initial operations until his death in 1842; he emphasized uniform procedures for local registrars to submit quarterly copies of entries to the central office, enabling the production of annual statistical reports on vital events. The GRO's innovations in data collection revolutionized administrative practices by introducing standardized printed forms for registrations, which included details like age, occupation, and —information previously inconsistent or unavailable. This system supported the coordination of national censuses, beginning with the enumeration, where enumerators used GRO guidelines to compile household data, yielding insights into and that informed policy reforms. Public access policies, established early on, permitted individuals to purchase certified copies of records for a , fostering transparency and enabling uses in , migration, and legal matters while protecting through indexed searches rather than open browsing. Complementing these administrative roles, the Somerset House Laboratory—initially established in 1842 as part of the Excise Laboratory and formally as the Board of Chemical Laboratory in 1849—occupied space within the complex to perform analytical work essential to functions. Initially focused on revenue enforcement, such as testing the purity of imported spirits, , and drugs to prevent , the laboratory expanded under principal chemists like James Bell (from 1856 to 1894) to include forensic services for the . It conducted toxicology analyses in criminal cases, employing emerging techniques like qualitative chemical tests for poisons, which provided critical evidence in poisoning trials and contributed to the professionalization of in Britain. These institutions exemplified Somerset House's role in 19th-century , blending scientific rigor with civil administration to support broader societal advancements, though their operations were constrained by the building's shared spaces and evolving bureaucratic demands.

Expansions and Modifications

19th-Century Additions

In the and , Somerset House underwent significant expansion with the addition of an designed by Sir Robert Smirke to accommodate the newly founded . Construction began in 1829, with the building opening in 1831 and completing in 1835; this neoclassical extension harmonized with the original facade by Sir William Chambers, providing additional office blocks for educational and administrative purposes. Further growth occurred in the through the construction of a west wing by Sir James Pennethorne, completed in 1856, which extended the complex along Lancaster Place to house expanding government offices, including those for fiscal administration. This addition maintained architectural continuity with the existing structure through matching stonework and proportions, effectively enlarging the site's capacity for bureaucratic functions. Concurrently, the General Register Office, established in for recording births, deaths, marriages, and records, was integrated into the expanded facilities; its vaulted basements provided secure, fireproof storage for public documents, seamlessly blending with the main building's river-facing elevation. Infrastructure enhancements during this period addressed the building's evolving needs, including the installation of gas lighting systems typical of mid-19th-century public institutions in , which improved illumination across the expanded offices. Heating upgrades, such as early hot-water systems, were also introduced to support year-round operations. The most transformative change came with the project from 1864 to 1870, engineered by Sir , which reclaimed land from the Thames and shifted the river approximately 50 meters southward; this not only alleviated flooding risks to Somerset House but also created new public space adjacent to its southern facade, altering its direct waterfront position. These Victorian-era additions were financed through parliamentary grants allocated for government infrastructure, reflecting the era's emphasis on accommodating Britain's growing administrative apparatus.

20th-Century Alterations

During the Second World War, Somerset House sustained significant damage from German air raids as part of the London Blitz. In October 1940, a bomb nearly completely destroyed the South Wing, while the Navy Staircase—now known as the Nelson Stair—also suffered severe structural damage during the same attack. To mitigate visibility to enemy aircraft, blackout modifications were applied across the building, including the obscuring of windows and lighting fixtures in line with national wartime directives. Post-war repairs commenced in the late 1940s, restoring the damaged sections to their original neoclassical design. The Navy Staircase was rebuilt over a two-year period from 1950 to 1952 under the direction of architect Sir Albert Richardson, who meticulously replicated the original features using salvaged materials where possible. These efforts ensured the building's core integrity was preserved amid broader reconstruction in war-torn , with full repairs to the South Wing completed by the mid-1950s. Wartime disruptions prompted key office relocations, reflecting the building's adaptive use during and after the conflict. Near the outset of the war in the early 1940s, the , a primary occupant since the , temporarily vacated Somerset House, allowing the to utilize the space for essential wartime administration. Later, in 1970, the General Register Office departed after 134 years of operation there, transferring its functions to St Catherine's House in to consolidate records and improve efficiency. By the and , as various government departments consolidated or relocated amid bureaucratic reforms, portions of Somerset House experienced partial vacancies. This led to practical adaptations, such as converting the grand central courtyard into a car park for vehicles, a use that persisted into the and underscored the building's utilitarian role during this era. To accommodate remaining administrative needs, including the introduction of early systems, targeted updates like electrical enhancements and basic climate control were installed in occupied wings, though these were modest compared to later overhauls. Preservation initiatives gained momentum in the mid-20th century to protect Somerset House's architectural significance. The complex received Grade I listed status from on 1 May 1953, recognizing its neoclassical masterpiece status and prohibiting unsympathetic alterations. Additional listings followed, such as for the adjoining Old Building on 5 February 1970, further safeguarding the site's historical ensemble against ongoing modernization pressures.

21st-Century Redevelopments

In the , following the progressive vacating of long-standing government offices that had occupied much of the site since the , plans emerged to repurpose Somerset House as a public cultural hub. The Somerset House Trust was established in as a registered charity to manage the building's conservation, maintenance, and development for arts and education purposes. This initiative marked a pivotal shift, enabling a comprehensive refurbishment program that began in under architects Dixon Jones, focusing on restoring the neoclassical fabric and reclaiming underutilized spaces like the former car park in the courtyard, which was transformed into the iconic Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court with its cascading water feature. Key projects in the early 2000s advanced this cultural conversion, including the reopening of the in June 2000 after extensive renovations that integrated it more seamlessly into the complex while preserving its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections. The Embankment Galleries were created in 2008 by adapting the historic barrel-vaulted barge house along the into a flexible exhibition and events space, filling the gap left by the relocation of the Gilbert Collection to the . These efforts also involved removing or modifying later 20th-century alterations, such as utilitarian office extensions and internal partitions added in the mid-century, to restore Sir William Chambers' original neoclassical vision and improve public access. Sustainability enhancements were incorporated into post-2000 redevelopments, aligning with broader environmental goals along the Thames. The site benefits from the , operational since 1982 and subject to ongoing maintenance and upgrades in the to counter rising sea levels and storm surges, providing critical flood protection for properties like Somerset House. While specific installations on the building itself are not documented, the Trust has pursued energy-efficient retrofits, including advanced HVAC systems and , as part of its commitment to reducing carbon emissions across the estate. The 21st century has seen Somerset House serve as a prominent filming location for various productions, leveraging its grand architecture for period dramas and action sequences, such as the Victorian-era scenes in (2009) and the 1960s-set sequences in : First Class (2011). A significant incident occurred on 17 August 2024, when a broke out in the west wing's roof, requiring over 120 firefighters to contain the blaze over seven hours; no artworks were damaged, but the event prompted a temporary closure for structural assessments. Somerset House began a phased reopening in late 2024, with full access restored by early 2025 following repairs. In 2025, Somerset House marked the 25th anniversary of its reopening as a public cultural center with events highlighting its evolution.

Modern Cultural Role

Transformation to Arts Venue

In 1997, the Somerset House Trust was established as a registered charity with the primary vision of preserving the historic building and transforming it into a publicly accessible center for and culture, emphasizing free entry to the courtyard and broader site to encourage widespread engagement. This initiative marked a deliberate shift from its prior role as government offices, aiming to foster partnerships with leading organizations to host exhibitions, performances, and events that connected creativity with public audiences. The transformation accelerated in 2000 when the site fully reopened to the public, including the inaugural openings of the Hermitage Rooms for Russian art displays and the Gilbert Collection of , both secured through key institutional partnerships that anchored the venue's cultural programming. , historically linked to the site since the 19th century, expanded its presence into the East Wing in 2009–2012 as a major tenant, integrating academic facilities with the arts ecosystem to support interdisciplinary initiatives. Programming evolved rapidly to draw diverse crowds, beginning with the launch of the annual outdoor in the courtyard in winter 2000, which quickly became a signature festive event transforming the space into a vibrant public gathering point. By the early , this expanded to include and design festivals, such as the introduction of shows in 2009 and the London Design Festival's integration, positioning Somerset House as a hub for contemporary . This cultural pivot yielded significant economic benefits, boosting local through increased footfall and establishing Somerset House as a key attraction with annual visitors surpassing 2 million by the , contributing to the broader visitor economy valued at billions regionally.

Current Institutions and Events

The Courtauld Institute of Art, housed in the North Wing of Somerset House, maintains one of the world's foremost collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, including van Gogh's iconic Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889), which depicts the artist shortly after his infamous ear incident. This permanent collection, comprising over 500 works, spans from the to the early and serves as a cornerstone for public engagement with European . The Institute also operates extensive educational facilities, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs in , curating, and conservation, with teaching primarily at Vernon Square but leveraging the Somerset House gallery for hands-on study and . These programs emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, drawing on the collection to train future scholars and conservators. Somerset House Studios, located in the South Wing, supports a vibrant community of up to 70 resident artists and cultural organizations at any given time, providing studio spaces for periods ranging from one to seven years. This residency program fosters interdisciplinary collaborations, particularly through initiatives like , which brings together artists, technologists, and researchers to experiment with art and emerging technologies such as AI and . Residents engage in projects and public-facing outputs, contributing to over 600 creative organizations networked across the site. Somerset House hosts a diverse array of ongoing events that blend music, performance, and , attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. The Summer Series, an open-air launched in the early 2000s, features eleven nights of live performances each July in the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court, showcasing genres from to hip-hop with headliners such as St. Vincent and Giggs in 2025. Complementing this, the site presents temporary exhibitions addressing contemporary themes; for instance, Salt Cosmologies (February–April 2025) explores Britain's imperial salt monopoly in through archival materials like 18th-century receipts, Gandhi's 1930 artifacts, and botanical specimens, weaving together history, myth, and environmental critique. Public amenities at Somerset House enhance visitor experience through thoughtful site management, including the restoration of the courtyard's choreographed fountains, which were upgraded in the late to improve functionality and aesthetics as part of broader site refurbishments. improvements continue to evolve, with features such as step-free entrances, tours, and tactile models in the , alongside ongoing efforts to remove physical and sensory barriers across the estate. These enhancements ensure the 18th-century complex remains a welcoming for diverse audiences.

Recent Developments and Anniversaries

In response to the , Somerset House adapted its programming by shifting to virtual formats from 2020 to 2022, including moving the 50th anniversary celebrations online with interactive installations, performances, and workshops when the site was closed to the public. Similarly, the 2020 Assembly Festival was relocated to a microsite to maintain engagement with audiences during lockdowns. Following the easing of restrictions, the venue transitioned to hybrid programming by 2023, incorporating both in-person and digital elements, as seen in events like the 2025 Step Inside 25 celebrations that blended live performances with online accessibility options. To commemorate its 25th anniversary as a cultural hub in 2025—marking 25 years since its transformation into a center for and —Somerset House organized a year-long series of events, culminating in the free 25 weekend on 13–14 September. This included interactive performances, music, screenings, workshops, guided tours, and family activities across the site, alongside exhibitions highlighting the venue's history of fostering creativity. Key highlights featured innovative installations like The VoiceLine, an audio artwork exploring sound and space, and exhibitions on digital culture and artistic . The anniversary also saw announcements of new supported artists through the Talent 25 scheme, spotlighting emerging innovators within the Somerset House community. Ongoing projects in the 2020s include architectural enhancements led by Snøhetta for Somerset House Studios, which won a 2024 competition to create an underground auditorium and sunken garden in a , expanding spaces while integrating elements to evoke micro-climates. efforts have intensified, with initiatives such as a 2022 search for diverse, eco-friendly suppliers, ongoing waste reduction aiming for zero through and , and exhibitions like SOIL: The World at Our Feet (2025), which promotes holistic environmental practices through art and workshops. The venue has faced broader challenges in the UK cultural sector, including funding shifts exacerbated by , which resulted in an estimated £160 million loss in EU grants for between 2021 and 2027, impacting residencies and international collaborations. Post-Brexit barriers, such as restricted mobility and reduced cross-Channel support, have prompted Somerset House to prioritize domestic talent programs like Talent 25 to sustain its community of creators.

References

  1. https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/
  2. https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/about-us/history
  3. https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/the-history-of-somerset-house-in-1-minute
  4. https://www.britainexpress.com/London/somerset-house.htm
  5. https://www.discoverbritain.com/destinations/london/somerset-house/
  6. https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/SOME1.htm
  7. https://www.forbes.com/sites/angelinavillaclarke/2025/02/17/somerset-house-celebrates-25-years-of-cultural-innovation/
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