Image: The Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court © Somerset House
The London arts venue will re-open its exhibition from this weekend following the blaze
Somerset House is to commence a phased reopening this weekend following a fire which broke out on Saturday.
The London arts venue, which is also home to The Courtauld Gallery, saw a fire break out at the weekend in the venue’s west wing. It took a reported 100 fire crews to successfully respond to the blaze, which was contained to one part of the building.
Major fire at Somerset House, London #Somersethouse #Fire pic.twitter.com/ojpoVQntyB
— Iggy Crespop (@jumpingSOFA) August 17, 2024
London Fire Brigade’s operation onsite has ended and its investigation will continue.
The venue has now announced that from 24 August, it will re-open its ‘The Lore of LOVERBOY’ exhibition and its ‘Mighty Crown Ball’ event is set to take place.
In a statement, the venue said: “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.
“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.”
