Seminars and company events
Somerset House hosts conferences, product launches, company dinners, summer parties and weddings in twelve hire spaces, with capacities from 70 guests in the Screening Room to 3,000 in the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court. The building stands between the Strand and the River Thames in central London and is also a working arts centre, home to The Courtauld Gallery.
Meetings and conferences are one of the venue's hire categories. A conference of 200 can use the Portico Rooms or Seamen's Hall, while the Navy Board Rooms suit a board meeting or a workshop for up to 100. The Screening Room, for 70, fits a film premiere, a presentation built around video or an investor briefing. Larger brand events and exhibitions use the Embankment Galleries, for up to 800, or the West Wing and the River Terrace, each for up to 500. The Fountain Court, open to the sky, takes the largest gatherings.
The venue is also hired for filming and photography and has appeared in feature films, television series and advertising campaigns.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings, proposals and wedding photography form a separate hire category. The rooms of the South Wing and the New Wing give couples a range of sizes, from a dinner for a small party in the Navy Board Rooms to a reception for several hundred on the River Terrace above the Thames. The venue team advises on which spaces suit the ceremony, the drinks and the dinner.
Rooms and capacities
Each figure below is the maximum the venue gives for the space. The layout behind each number, standing or seated, should be confirmed with the events team.
In the South Wing: the Portico Rooms (200), the River Terrace (500), the Navy Board Rooms (100), Seamen's Hall (200), the Embankment Galleries (800), the Lightwells and Deadhouse (200), the Screening Room (70) and the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court (3,000). The East Wing takes up to 299 guests. In the New Wing, the Lancaster Room and the River Rooms each hold 220. The West Wing holds up to 500.
With this spread, an organiser can keep a full programme on one site: a plenary in one wing, breakout sessions in smaller rooms and an evening reception on the terrace or in the courtyard.
Catering
Somerset House works with an accredited list of suppliers, selected for quality and sustainability. Organisers should ask the venue team for the current list of caterers and other suppliers before planning menus and production.
History and setting
The building was designed by Sir William Chambers and built from the late 18th century to house government offices, among them the Navy Board, whose name survives in the Navy Board Rooms. Today it is a public arts and culture centre with exhibitions, talks, music and screenings, and The Courtauld Gallery occupies part of the site. The Fountain Court, at the heart of the building, is its largest open-air space.
Getting there
Somerset House is on the Strand, between Covent Garden and the City of London. Temple Underground station is a few minutes away on foot, and Embankment, Charing Cross and Waterloo stations are within walking distance. Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports serve international guests, and St Pancras International receives Eurostar trains from Paris and Brussels.
