Somerset House is a new kind of arts centre in the heart of London, designed for today’s audiences and creatives.

Offering a diverse and dynamic public programme of contemporary arts and culture, they are also a home to a large community of creative businesses, artists and makers, including Somerset House Studios.

From its 18th-century origins, Somerset House has been a centre for debate and discussion including the first home of the Royal Academy of Arts and other learned societies – an intellectual powerhouse for the nation. For over 200 years the building housed various government departments including births, marriages and deaths and the Inland Revenue until Somerset House Trust was established in July 1997 to conserve and develop Somerset House as an arts centre. After a campaign to open Somerset House to the public, they once again became a home for arts and culture in 2000.