Temple

Somerset House is open daily and hosts various seasonal events, including concerts and an ice rink in winter. Entry to the main walkways of the house is FREE.

020 7845 4600

Somerset House is an outstanding neoclassical building overlooking the River Thames. The present building replaced an earlier Renaissance palace, built in 1547 by the Duke of Somerset, who became Lord Protector during the reign of the Tudor King Edward VI.  The Duke intended the palace to be a monument to his wealth and power, but he made many enemies, was eventually overthrown, and met his fate in 1552 on Tower Hill. He never saw his finished palace.

Following his downfall, Somerset House became a Royal Palace and home to a procession of English Queens from Elizabeth I to Catherine of Braganza, the wife of Charles II.  Its Royal function was interrupted only by the Civil War and it was at Somerset House that Oliver Cromwell's body lay in state after his death in 1658. In spite of additions to the building by Inigo Jones and Christopher Wren, by 1776 its increasing state of disrepair led George III to move the Queen's court to Buckingham Palace and the building was demolished.

Sir Charles Chambers, a leading architect, was commissioned to design a new elegant Somerset House. As the river was not yet embanked, water lapped right up to the building and three great arches allowed boats and barges access to landing platforms within the building itself. The new building became the city’s first office block and for many years it housed the official registry of births, marriages and deaths.

The facade facing the river

For 200 years, Somerset House became the nerve centre for the nation’s naval power. The longstanding links with the Admiralty led to the legend that Nelson worked in the building for a time. There is still a conference room known as the Nelson Room, a graceful apartment which has a copy of the Probate of Nelson's will framed on the wall.

Somerset House today is a cultural hub and an inspirational centre for the visual arts. It provides a magnificent backdrop to world-renowned permanent old master and impressionist collections, forming the Courtauld Gallery, Gilbert Collection and Hermitage Rooms, with its exhibitions of items loaned from the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

Mermen

The Visitors’ Centre features audiovisual displays on the history of the building; the gilded Lord Mayor of London's state barge, and a well appointed shop and café are housed in the wing overlooking the river. The Eastern wing is largely occupied by the Department of Music, of King's College in London.

In the winter between November and January the central courtyard is home to London’s most beautiful open air ice rink. At other times an array of fountains put on a magical display.

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