The Hermitage Rooms in Somerset House

Somerset House is one of Britain's outstanding historical monuments. It was built in the 18th century to the design of the architect Sir William Chambers (1724-1796), an advisor to King George III. This edifice, only slightly younger than the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, is located on the north bank of the Thames and was intended to house several state institutions. Nowadays it is a tremendous cultural centre containing the Courtauld Institute Gallery, the Gilbert Collection and the Hermitage Rooms.
The Hermitage Rooms consist of five galleries with a total floor area of over 4400 square feet (411 square metres) and are located on the ground floor of the south wing of the building that overlooks the Thames. The decoration of the rooms gives visitors an idea of the magnificent interiors of the imperial Winter Palace. The Hermitage director remarked that they put one in mind of a "precious casket". The parquet floors were created by Russian craftsmen and reproduce the design of the floors in the St George Hall (Large Throne Room) and the Pavilion Hall. The display cases and furniture are imitations of those produced to the drawings of the Bavarian architect Leo von Klenze who designed the New Hermitage as a public museum to the commission of Emperor Nicholas I.

The first gallery provides a virtual introduction to the Hermitage. The Moscow-based company Golden Telecom provides the communication link with St Petersburg. Visitors to Somerset House can see Palace Square and the Winter Palace in real time. A six-minute video presents the most interesting interiors in the museum. A bank of computers provides access to the Hermitage web-site on the Internet.

View of the courtyard of Somerset House
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The Hermitage Rooms
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The first gallery
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