Five... pieces of Somerset House's design history
It's played Diagon Alley, St Petersburg and Nazi Germany on the silver screen
Hi and welcome to your weekend newsletter…
This edition’s a few snapshots of the architectural history of Somerset House, since (though it sounds like the damage was minimal) it’s in my thoughts after the fire this weekend.
It’s an Eras Tour
The Grade I listed building’s a little palimpsest of London’s architectural styles throughout the ages: the Tudor palace that once stood on the site — for which construction started in the mid-16th century — replacing a medieval Inn of Chancery, and eventually being replaced in turn by the current Georgian complex in the 1770s, which then acquired some extra Victorian wings and embellishments in the 1800s.
Blitz damage from the second world war’s also left its mark on the site, though some of the destruction was repaired to match the original as closely as possible — like the Nelson Stair, rebuilt in the 1950s by Sir Alfred Richardson.