A Visit To Somerset House

Today we visited Somerset House, a mansion along the Thames in the heart of downtown London. It was built by the Lord Protector of England, Edward Seymour, after his nephew, Edward VI , son of Henry VIII, became a king as a child. Unfortunately for Seymour, he overstepped himself and lost his head shortly before the mansion was completed, but many royals thereafter thought it a very fine home indeed. We took a guided tour, which unfortunately focused more on the architectural detail than the history. (If you are a little girl, say BORING!) Still, to the adults at least, it was interesting to learn that the Thames used to flow under a part of the house to allow boats to disembark their passengers in the basement. It was also interesting to see some of the clever architecture used to build truly impressive staircases and to see the statues representing the four continents which were installed in 1775. Three of the statues, Europe, Asia and Africa, carry produce in their hands. Only the fourth (shown at left), representing America, holds a spear in its hand, reflecting the trouble the British were having with their colonies at that time. This place is also the place where stamps were affixed after the hated Stamp Act was imposed in 1763. Both Laura and Scott were surprised to find out that the Stamp Act was not only imposed on Americans; it was imposed equally on the British. That's something you never learn in American history!