| Somerset House | |
|---|---|
 Courtyard of Somerset House from the North Wing entrance (September 2007) | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| Location | Strand London, WC2 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Current tenants | Multiple |
| Construction started | 1776 |
| Cost | £462,323 (1801)[1] |
| Landlord | Somerset House Trust |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Sir William Chambers |
| Designations | Grade I listed building |
| Other information | |
| Public transit access |  Temple |
| Website | |
| www | |
Somerset House is a large Renaissance 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 was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("Old Somerset House") originally belonging to the Duke of Somerset in 1547. 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]
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.
- ^ "Since the 18th century". Somerset House Trust. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- ^ Humphreys, Rob (2003). The Rough Guide to London (5 ed.). Rough Guides Ltd. pp. 165–6. ISBN 1843530937.
somerset house.
- ^ Somerset House Trust (2010), Annual Report (PDF), Somerset House Trust, p. 3, archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2012, retrieved 27 February 2013
- ^ Thornbury, Walter. "The Victoria Embankment". British History Online. Retrieved 15 February 2015.