Somerset House

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Denmark House

In the civil parish of Westminster.
In the historic county of Middlesex (Modern Authority of London Borough of Westminster, 1974 county of Greater London).

House acquired by the crown in 1551 as an unfinished property of the executed Duke of Somerset. Became the residence of Edward VI in 1553, the first Renaissance palace built in England. Known as Denmark House in 1603. Some of C17 remodelling was carried out by Inigo Jones. Demolished in 1775, it was replaced by the first large government office block. It is built around a central courtyard with a free-standing North wing. Photographic surveys of the basement and chimney pieces were undertaken in by RCHME in 1997 and 1998. Laid out on the land previously occupied by the Inns of the bishops of Lichfield, Worcester and Llandaff (qv).

This site has been described as a;
Palace.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Possible.
Nothing visible remains.

This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 428227)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TQ30708081

Modern Map from

Good for landscape form and features

Modern Map from

Good for general location

Air Photo from

1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 404849

Books

Weinreb, Ben and Hibbert, Christopher (eds), 1983 [rev edn 1993], The London Encyclopeadia (Macmillian) p818-9
Colvin, H.M., Ransome, D.R. and Summerson, John, 1982, The history of the King's Works, vol4: 1485-1660 (part 2) (London) p252-71
Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p85-7

Journal Articles

Godfrey, W., 1922, Transactions of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society Vol10 p216-9

Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)

Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities28.htm]
William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/midlesexeng.html#mids13]

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant

The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of English Heritage and other individuals and organisations.

It is an offence to disturb a Scheduled Monument without consent. It is a destruction of everyone's heritage to remove archaeological evidence from any site without proper recording and reporting. Don't use metal detectors on historic sites without authorisation.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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This record last updated on Friday, April 6, 2007

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