Somerset House

The current structure of Somerset House stands on the site of a sprawling Tudor palace built by the Duke of Somerset in the mid sixteenth century. Edward Seymour, who served as Lord Protector during the minority of King Edward the Sixth, demolished an existing church and inn to make room for his grand residence. He never lived to see the building finished because he was executed for treason before the roof was completed. The palace then became a residence for various royals, including Queen Anne of Denmark, who commissioned significant renovations to the structure in the early seventeenth century.