A fire has broken out on the roof of Somerset House in central London; crucially, the Courtauld Gallery, which is based in the north wing of the historic site, has escaped any damage.
Professor Mark Hallett, the Märit Rausing Director of The Courtauld, says in a statement: “The Courtauld, including our galleries and collection of artworks, is unaffected by the fire. As a precaution, we have closed the galleries for the rest of the day.” The director of Somerset House Trust, Jonathan Reekie, told The Guardian that the fire broke out in the west wing of the building and there were “no artworks in that area”. The Courtauld Gallery director, Ernst Vegelin, was also present on site.
Around 125 firefighters and 15 fire engines battled the blaze at the venue on the Strand, according to a statement posted by the London Fire Brigade. There are no reported injuries; the causes of fire are now being examined while the full extent of the damage is currently unknown. Numerous business and companies occupy the building which has become a key arts hub in the capital.
Somerset House has closed while the fire brigade battles the blaze © The Art Newspaper
Somerset House posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the site is currently closed “due to a fire which has broken out in one small part of the building”. It added: “All staff and public are safe and the site is closed. The London Fire Brigade arrived swiftly and we’re working very closely with them to control the spread of the fire.”
The Courtauld Gallery of Art reopened in November 2021 following a four-year refurbishment. The restored and expanded complex houses a plethora of new galleries and spaces with backing from major sponsors including the luxury conglomerate LVMH and the Ukrainian-born billionaire Leonard Blavatnik.
The initial Tudor palace at the Somerset House site was built by the Duke of Somerset around 1547; the current government on-site buildings were initiated by King George III around 1776. The Courtauld Institute and Gallery moved to their current premises at Somerset House in 1989 (prior to the move, the institution was spread across several buildings at Portman Square with some of the collection on display at the Warburg Institute).
