© Richard Bryant
The original Somerset House was a Tudor palace commissioned by the Duke of Somerset. In 1775 it was demolished to make way for an entirely new building, effectively the first purpose-built office block in the world. Today it houses a formidable art gallery (the wonderful Courtauld), a beautiful fountain court, a terraced café and a classy restaurant. Having replaced the Hermitage Rooms and Gilbert Collection on the river side of the building in April 2008, the new Embankment Galleries explore connections between art, architecture and design with a series of temporary exhibitions; downstairs a ceremonial Thames barge illustrates the venue's history. In summer, children never tire of running through the choreographed fountains. Family workshops take place at weekends and holidays, and in recent years Somerset House has hosted an outdoor film screen in summer and a wonderfully atmospheric ice-rink in winter.
A palladian civic palace between the Strand and the Thames by Waterloo Bridge, built as government offices in the...
Exhibition bringing to life the process of creating fashion imagery through film, interactive installations and live ...
Launched in November 2000, when the internet was still in its infancy, Brit photographer Nick Knight's SHOWstudio...
Photographer Nick Knight's Showstudio.com website has pumped out avant-garde, ultra-creative fashion shoots, movies, ...
The grand eighteenth-century courtyard at Somerset House provides one of the most impressive skating backdrops in...
Selected portraits, in celebration of a new publication of work from the 1930s-1980s by the famous fashion photographer.
Transport Charing Cross
020 7845 4600
Times Courtauld Gallery (020 7848 2526): 10am-6pm daily (last adm 5.30pm). £5, £4 concs, children under 18 free; 10am-2pm Mon (free on Mon, closed bank hols)
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