Denmark House was taken away from the royals during the English Civil War in the s with General Thomas Fairfax establishing the headquarters of the Parliamentary Army there. Parliament tried and failed to sell the extensive property in , but subsequently ended up raising a lot of money by selling off the contents instead.
However, Henrietta never got to see her plans completed as she returned to France in , blaming her Bronchitis on the damp English weather. She finally moved out in and was the last royal to ever live in the property. Over subsequent decades, the building was used as apartments, stables, offices and storage.
The atmospheric light wells have been used in many TV and films. The Government thought London was lacking in grand public buildings and it was decided the site of Somerset House would be perfect for the public offices for the likes of tax, the Royal Navy and the Bargemaster, among others. Scottish-Swedish architect William Chambers was enlisted to design the new project, which would take over the last two decades of his life. Chambers enlisted the assistance of engineer Thomas Telford and Thomas Hardwick Jnr — to create his Neoclassical wonder.
The South Wing was completed in , meeting the River Thames. The South Wing featured three arches to allow boats to pull in and dock. Chambers did not get to see his grand work completed, with building continuing under the supervision of James Wyatt after his retirement in before he died a year later. Skip to main content. Our Team. Who we are. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion. Our anti-racism pledge. Find out about our pioneering green initiatives.
There is still a south-facing terrace now used as a cafe but it is separated from the River Thames by the Victoria Embankment containing a road, a railway and a trunk sewer. The internal courtyard of Somerset House was, disgracefully, used as an Inland Revenue staff car park for many years this used to remind one of the Vatican's Belvedere Court - still used as a staff car park. Today the Somerset House court is used by dancing fountains in summer and ice skaters in winter. This is excellent.
St Clement Danes Church - 0. London Transport Museum - 0. Theatre Royal Drury Lane - 0. Cleopatra's Needle - 0. Covent Garden Market - 0. St Paul's Covent Garden - 0. Free entry to top London attractions. Toggle navigation. Best of Britain. Somerset House. Somerset House is a neo-classical London landmark on the north bank of the River Thames, just off the Strand.
The Duke's men scavenged stone for the building from the charnel house of St Paul's Cathedral, and the priory church of St John Clerkenwell. The east wing of Somerset House, evening light. The Stamp Stair. Nelson Stair. Coach House, Sevenoaks - Gleneagles, Sunningdale - Staunton Hotel - 0.
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