Somerset House, London
Introduction This evening I am reporting on the fine heritage property known as Somerset House which sits close to the Strand in London 's WC2 area. Information on Somerset House This building was intended to impress; in fact to showcase Britain's global power and military might during the period of late 18th century imperialism. Construction took place under the auspices of architect, Sir William Chambers (1723-1796) during the period 1775-1801. Chambers was the preeminent architect of his day who had travelled extensively and studied in Paris and Rome.This resulted in the pan-European neoclassical style of the subject property. Somerset House's primary function was to provide the headquarters of the Royal Navy with space allocated for various Civil Service departments which had, hitherto, been scattered across London. Chambers' solution to the challenges of his commission was to create interconnected buildings around a deep courtyard with Portland stone used to har...