Squeezed between the north bank of the Thames and the Strand, this touristic riverside area is home to the iconic neoclassical Somerset House and the Courtauld Institute of Art. King’s College London also occupies the locality, meaning that pubs such as the Cheshire Cheese, the Lyceum Tavern and The Old Bank of England are often full of students. The Strand and nearby Fleet Street have countless shops, cafes and boutiques, and the green of Temple Gardens and the open public square of Somerset House provide visitors with plenty of space to sit and relax with riverside views. Just a short walk from Waterloo, this small area is serviced by Temple tube station which operates on the District and Circle lines, and by numerous bus routes. With practically no permanent residents, the area’s main occupants are students from King’s College or the Courtauld, as well as the many daily visitors to Somerset House.

Originally built in 1547 as a riverside palace for the Duke of Somerset, Somerset House has an interesting history. Somerset was executed in 1552 and the house was passed onto the young Edward VI and later to Elizabeth I. It passed through royal hands until 1649, when the English Civil War eradicated the monarchy, and it came into the hands of Parliament – it was in Somerset House that Oliver Cromwell’s body lay in state following his death in 1658. After its restoration by Christopher Wren in 1685 the building fell into a long period of decline. It was not until 1775 that Somerset House was revamped under the supervision of William Chambers, and completed in 1801. At the time of its construction the Thames wasn’t banked so boats could enter the building and land at special docks built beneath the structure. Over the course of its life, the building has been home to the Royal Academy and the Royal Society, as well as the Royal Astronomical Society and Inland Revenue.

King’s College London was founded in 1829, with the Temple-based Strand Campus opening in 1831. Its alumni include such names as writers Thomas Hardy and Virginia Woolf, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, founder of modern nursing Florence Nightingale, and philosopher Alain de Botton, amongst many others.

The area’s location at the heart of central London, and its proximity to the busy Strand and Aldwych, mean that it is often rather congested and polluted. Also, the concentration of students, workers, and tourists can mean that local transport hubs are very busy at peak times.

Somerset House is constantly transforming, with new exhibitions and concerts happening regularly. This brings diverse and different crowds to the neighbourhood depending on the type of show. Every winter, too, the central courtyard becomes home to a popular open-air ice rink.