The River Terrace and Embankment Facade
Sir William Chambers (1723 to 1796) · 1776 to 1801
Walk through the building to the south side and out onto the long terrace, and London opens in front of you: Waterloo Bridge to the right, the South Bank across the water, and the river itself flowing below. The terrace runs the full length of the facade, some one hundred and eighty metres, and it was built so that the Navy Board could look out at the water that was its business. When Chambers designed it, the Thames came right up to the wall beneath you, and boats passed through a great arch at the centre, the water gate, directly into the building.
The river facade is the grandest elevation of Somerset House and was intended to be seen from the water. The centre is marked by a dome and a pediment, and the whole front rests on a massive rusticated base pierced by arches. Look down at that base: the arches once opened onto the river, and the huge central archway, with its rusticated stones and lion heads, was the ceremonial entrance for the barges of the Navy. Chambers was inspired by the riverside palaces of Italy, and the view of Somerset House from the Thames was painted by Canaletto's followers and by Constable.
Everything changed in the eighteen sixties when the Victoria Embankment was built, reclaiming the foreshore for a road and a garden and leaving the water gate stranded a full street away from the river. The dramatic base now rises from traffic rather than tide, but the terrace above still gives the sense of a palace on the water. It is at its best at sunset, and it is one of the few places in central London where you can sit by the river for free.
Did You Know? Boats once sailed straight into the building through the great arch at the centre, which now stands a whole road away from the water.
Unlock the Full Guide
Read every room and listen to every work in all museums with premium.