2-623-311 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

'Somerset House', c1902. First built for Lord Protector Somerset in 1547-1550, Somerset House was the first Renaissance palace in England. It was given to Anne of Denmark in 1603 and was known as Denmark House until 1645. It was substantially rebuilt to designs by Sir William Chambers in the late 18th century, at which time the Thames flowed up to the palace's frontage. Somerset House was the home of many royal societies in the 18th and 19th centuries. From 1836-1973 it housed the offices of the General Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages. From The Studio Volume 26. [London Offices of the Studio, London, 1902]