Somerset House restoration to reveal glory

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Plans unveiled today will open the ground-level buildings on all wings of the popular courtyard to public access for the first time.

The six-storey riverfront south wing will be redeveloped, uncovering previously unseen architectural gems such as a double-height gallery first used to house models of all the ships in the Navy.

The vaults around the courtyard are to be turned into studio spaces for artists, designers and photographers.

A temporary exhibitions programme will be organised in conjunction with the Courtauld Institute, which occupies the northern part of the site.

This will in part replace the shows which the Hermitage Museum of St Petersburg has presented on site in recent years. The Hermitage announced last week that it was closing its London programme of exhibitions because of rising costs. There will also be new galleries.

Gwyn Miles, director of the Somerset House Trust, said: "The intent is to bring the building more into public use and restore the buildings to their glory.

"We'd like to have everything done by 2012 and are moving very rapidly."

The work is expected to cost several million pounds but has not been fully budgeted. It is also dependent on the departure of long-term tenant the Inland Revenue, which has been agreed in principle. "The Inland Revenue is aware of our plans but it is not yet a done deal," said Ms Miles.

Somerset House was originally the site of a 16th-century royal palace. Today's building is the work of Sir William Chambers, the architectural tutor and adviser to King George III. With nearly 1,000 rooms, it was built for government offices, notably the Navy Office, and learned societies.

Somerset House was first opened to the public in May 2000 in a £48million development. The Inland Revenue car park was removed from the courtyard, creating the open-air space now used for concerts in the summer and ice-skating at Christmas.

Two thirds of the south wing and the river terrace were opened to the public in this first phase.