What's been happening at Somerset House

A. In the tradition of Covent Garden and Spitalfields Market, Somerset House - until recently government offices which had seen better days - has been refurbished and converted into a public area with performance spaces and restaurants nestling alongside galleries and museums exhibiting many collections associated with its past history. As with the Tate Modern at the old Bankside Power Station, it is another of London's recent successful regeneration projects.

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Q. What's there
A. The world-famous Courtauld Institute of Art, the public galleries of which offer many works of medieval, Renaissance and Impressionist art, now has its home here. No longer clogged with parked cars and business officials, the beautifully paved courtyard has become a public thoroughfare where all are welcome to stroll and admire the sculptures, the fountain displays and the ornate inner elevations of this marvellous building. Glimpses of the elegant architectural features created by the architect Sir William Chambers can be enjoyed again in the south building, which now houses a fabulous collection of gold, silver and mosaics in the Gilbert Museum, and the River Terrace has re-opened to offer visitors one of the finest river views in London.

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The courtyard has a fountain display in the summer, but over Christmas and the New Year 2000 it was transformed into an ice-skating rink to celebrate the new century.

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Q. Which architects were responsible for the makeover
A. The work was done in two phases. The architects for Phase I were the Dixon Jones Partnership, who have been responsible for projects at the Royal Opera House, the National Portrait Gallery extension and are working on the new Magna Carta building at Salisbury Cathedral.

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Phase II was project managed by Donald Insalls, whose recent credits include the restoration of Windsor Castle following the recent fire.

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Q. So, where and what is Somerset House
A. Somerset House stands between the Strand and the Thames Embankment near Waterloo Bridge on the north bank of the River Thames. Previously the building was most recently home to the General Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and then an Inland Revenue Tax Office. Suffering from constant alterations to the internal accommodation as a result of varying bodies moving in and out over the years, and subsequently badly damaged during the Second World War, Somerset House began to lose much of it's original decoration.

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Q. Its been through a few incarnations, then
A. Yes, and the present building isn't the first Somerset House on the site. The first building in this prime location (built 1547-50), which borders the river on one side and the Strand on the other, was the setting for the splendid early Renaissance palace of Sir Edward Seymour, Lord Protector of England during part of the minority of King Edward VI and brother of Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII.

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Constantly added to over the centuries by architects such as Inigo Jones and John Webb, Somerset House was used during the 17th century as the dower house of successive Queens. Gradually falling out of favour with the Royals by the mid 18th century,� in 1774 the building was doomed to demolition by George III, his wife preferring the modern comforts of Buckingham House.

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Q. When was the present Somerset House built
A. Sir William Chambers, the architect responsible for several large houses in London during the 1770s and other works in Kew Gardens, was asked to design a building to accommodate numerous government offices - including the Navy and the Stamp Office - as well as the three principal learned societies: the Royal Academy, the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries.

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The design of the new building was greatly influenced by the old palace, which Chambers knew well. Arranged as four main blocks around a central courtyard, the new Somerset House extends across the whole six acre site of the original palace complex and gardens. Work began on the neo-classical building in 1776 and continued for the next 25 years, costing an exorbitant amount of money, at least three times more than Chambers had first estimated. Even by this time the eastern part of the building remained unfinished, and it was left to Sir Robert Smirke to complete it in the 1830s. The western wing of 1856 was the work of Sir James Pennethorne who skilfully merged his additions with the original style of Chambers to create an impressive entrance for the new suite of Inland Revenue offices.

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For information on events at Somerset House go to http://www.somerset-house.org.uk/

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By Simon Smith