17th August 2024
A fire has broken out in the West Wing of Somerset House. Our teams immediately followed our robust fire procedures and the site was evacuated promptly. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) arrived swiftly.
We do not yet know the cause of the fire, our focus now is allowing LFB the space to do their brilliant work. All our staff and the general public are safe and are not at risk.
20th August 2024
We are pleased to confirm that we are able to commence a phased reopening of Somerset House, following Saturday’s fire.
On Saturday (24 August), we will re-open the acclaimed exhibition The Lore of LOVERBOY and in the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court, Vogue Rites will present the Mighty Crown Ball powered by adidas London. For these and other events, including Dono: Appau Jnr Boakye-Yiadom & Harun Morrison, please see our website for further details.
Our community of artists, makers and creative start-ups based in Somerset House’s New Wing, including Somerset House Studios artists, have already started to return today. Residents based in the workspaces of West and South Wing will follow as soon as possible.
Saturday’s fire was successfully contained to one part of the building. London Fire Brigade’s operation onsite has ended and its investigation will continue.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the individual firefighters of the LFB, the emergency services and our staff for ensuring everyone’s safety and preventing much greater destruction.
We have been very moved by expressions of support from around the world over the last few days, which has served as a reminder of how cherished Somerset House is as an arts destination and the home of cultural innovators, housing its unrivalled creative community of talented individuals and enterprises.
We would like to thank our audiences and community for their patience as we begin this reopening process.