Somerset House – A haven for art lovers

London is home to some of the finest medieval buildings, monuments, palaces and castles in the whole of Europe. For those who have a passion for architecture, London offers a perfect opportunity to visit admire and be inspired with its absolutely outstanding edifices, which still occupy a preeminent place in the city’s glorious history. Similarly when it comes to stately homes London is in a class of its own, with the best to be found in and around the city.   

On such stately home to explore on a trip to London is Somerset House, which is within a comfortable distance of Park Grand London Lancaster Gate Hotel . It was formerly an office complex that now serves as a Centre of the Arts. 

 Upon the death of King Henry VIII in 1547, his son Edward was a minor and not old enough to become king. As a result Edward Seymour, his ambitious uncle appointed himself as his principal advisor, until the boy attained the required age to be king.  Seymour was a crafty man, who made ample use of his new found powers. He arranged for himself to be appointed as the Duke of Somerset and decided to build an extravagant palace that would be in line with his newly attained position and status in British society. To achieve this he went ahead and confiscated a large number of properties that lay close to the Thames and had the existing structures demolished. As a result a new palatial home built in Renaissance style, was constructed on the demolished properties, which was then named 'Somerset Place'. However Edward Seymour did not have the fortune of staying in his new palace for long. In 1551 prior to the completion of the house he was condemned of treason and in the month of January 1552 was executed at the Tower of London. 

It was then included in the properties that were owned by the Crown and during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Somerset House became a residence for dignitaries who visited. It enjoyed its heyday during the period of the early seventeenth century when the Queen-consort, Anne of Denmark stayed there.  It was renamed Denmark House by here and became the venue for lavish parties that were hosted by the Queen. It was used by the royals as a residence right up to the eighteenth century, after which it was neglected and fell into a state of disrepair. 

After it fell into a shabby state of ruins due to neglect in the early 18th century, the architect Vanbrugh noted in 1718 that the repair of the former palace was not worthy a cause. On account of it having been neglected for so long, it could not effectively stand the ravages of the weather that led to a decision of having the entire place demolished and to reconstruct a new edifice. It was approved by King George III who commissioned for it to become a building for public offices with an added clause Somerset House was to become the official dower house of the queen. A new Somerset House was constructed on the same site of the old palace with construction in phases.  The first resident of the newly constructed Somerset House’s apartments was The Royal Academy, which ironically was the last resident of the old Somerset House. The new Somerset House’s apartments, which fronted the Strand got a sense of continuity with the Royal Academy settling in. 

In July 1997 a special trust was set up for Somerset House, which came to be known as the Somerset House Trust. It was set up with the purpose of preserving and further developing the open places and palace for the public as well as for restoration of the River Terrace, the South Building and the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court, which was to get top priority. It was after a century in the millennium year that the River Terrace opened to the public for the first time since its restoration. It has an area for a summer Cafe, a bar, restaurant, deli and a Shop feature on its ground level in the South Building. The impressive newly created construction has a classical feel of the original Tudor Palace and offers a spectacular view of the River Thames, east of Waterloo Bridge.

 

There have been expansions in the North and South areas, which has become the Victorian Wing and also in the east wing that forms part of King’s College, London. Somerset House lies in the centre of London and currently serves as an important art and ethnic centre known to host family workshops,   concerts, demonstrations etc. Visitors can undertake a complimentary guided tour of the areas hidden from visitors and view the contemporary design and art expositions on display. In summer time visitors can enjoy the refreshing sprays of water from the 55 fountains in its courtyard and there even is a fantastic Ice rink for people to enjoy skating on the ice. The Somerset House Trust endeavours to maintain the highest standards at Somerset House and to keep it up to date as a world class attraction, and a centre of excellence of modern arts and culture.