The Strand Street In Central London, England, United Kingdom, August 17, 2024,Street: Strand; District: Covent Garden; Borough: City of Westminster; County: Greater London. fire trucks are parked at Somerset House public square, in daytime late afternoon in summer time, there are several Metropolitan police officers and firemen. Police officers and firemen and fire trucks.

Over 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines tackled the blaze in the historic building

Photo: OGULCAN AKSOY via iStock

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Somerset House announces phased reopening

Somerset House has credited the support of its 'unrivalled community' of artists and creative businesses following a major fire in the historic building.

Mary Stone
4 min read

Somerset House has announced plans for a phased reopening of its public areas and creative workspaces following a fire that broke out in the roof of the 18th-century building’s West Wing at around midday on Saturday (17 August).

Over 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines extinguished the blaze in what the London Fire Brigade described as “a complex and technical response” at the cultural hub, which runs a programme of public events as well as housing offices for creative enterprises.

London Fire Brigade’s onsite operation has now ended, but its investigation into the causes of the fire continue.

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While the West and South Wings remain closed, The Courtauld Gallery, which occupies the building's North Wing with a collection of 33,000 artworks and objects, reopened on Sunday. King's College London, which occupies the East Wing, is unaffected.

In addition to public spaces, galleries and hospitality venues, Somerset House accommodates offices for many creative businesses and studios for up to 70 artists.

Creatives based in the building's New Wing, including House Studio Artists, started returning today (Tuesday 20 August), while residents in the workspaces of West and South Wings will follow "as soon as possible".

The Lore of LOVERBOY exhibition will reopen on Saturdat 24 August, as will the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court for a planned event.

Somerset House Trust Director Jonathan Reekie confirmed that no artwork was in the area impacted by the fire – the southern end of the West Wing – which is used for offices and storage, and no one was injured.

Kate McGrath, Artistic Director & CEO of Fuel, which has offices in the affected area of the building, said: "We’re still waiting to hear what the damage is… We’re working remotely for now, and have been really impressed with the comms from Somerset House, and also really touched by kind messages of support from our freelance family and colleagues across the industry, as well as offers of temporary office space from other organisations." 

An 'unrivalled community'

A spokesperson for Somerset House said the support it had received since the fire showed “just how well-loved Somerset House is as a cultural space with its unrivalled community of artists, makers and creative startups, and as a beautiful historic building and home of the Courtauld”.

"It is too early to comment in detail on the damage to the building, but we can confirm it’s limited to one part of the building in the West Wing, and we will continue to support the London Fire Brigade with their investigations into the cause. 

"While we remain closed, we hope to return to the Somerset House cultural programme and reopen our creative workspaces as soon as possible and will be sharing updates via our official channels." 

"We would like to express our sincerest thanks to the emergency services, our staff and our visitors, who all acted so swiftly and diligently on Saturday 17 August."

Assistant Commissioner Keeley Foster, who attended the fire, said: "The fire was located in part of the building’s roof space. The age and design of the building proved a challenge for crews as they initially responded.

"As a result, four of the brigade’s aerial ladders, including a 64-metre turntable ladder, were deployed to support firefighters as they carried out a complex and technical response. This included creating fire breaks in the roof, which has now limited the spread of flames."