Somerset House - A Home For Arts and Learning

A Home For Arts and Learning

As well as the Royal Academy, and the Government Art School, Somerset House was fitted out to house the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries. These, and the Geological Society, moved to Burlington House in Piccadilly in the early 19th century.

In the late 20th century the building was reinvigorated as a centre for the visual arts. The first institution to move in was the Courtauld Institute of Art, including the Courtauld Gallery, which has an important collection of old master and impressionist paintings. In the late 1990s the main courtyard ceased to be a civil service carpark, and the main terrace overlooking the Thames was refurbished and opened to the public, these alterations being overseen by the leading conservation architects Donald Insall & Associates. A visitor centre featuring audiovisual displays on the history of the building; the gilded state barge of the Lord Mayor of the City of London; and a shop and café were opened in the wing overlooking the river. The Gilbert Collection of decorative arts, and the Hermitage Rooms, which stage exhibitions of items loaned from the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, moved into the same area. The last Hermitage exhibition took place in 2007 and the Gilbert Collection galleries closed in 2008; the collection will move into new galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum in June 2009. Somerset House now puts on a programme of art exhibitions drawing on various sources.

In the winter the central courtyard is home to an open air ice rink. At other times, an array of fountains display vertical jets of water rising to random heights. The courtyard is also used as a concert venue. A series of music events called the 'Summer series' are held in July each year. These have included performances from artists such as Bat For Lashes, Lupe Fiasco, Snow Patrol, We Are Scientists, Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse. A Goldfrapp concert was filmed in the courtyard and released on the Wonderful Electric DVD. There is also an annual summer season of outdoor film showings. The East wing is occupied by The Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London.

Somerset House was also the main location for the BBC's New Year Live television show, presented by Natasha Kaplinsky, which celebrated the arrival of the year 2006. It also stood in for Buckingham Palace in the episode "Celebrity" of Spooks.

Elements of the 2008 film The Duchess starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes were filmed at Somerset House in October 2007. Additional filming during 2008 has included scenes from the Sherlock Holmes film starring Jude Law and Robert Downey, Jr. directed by Guy Ritchie.