In Dragon Keepers’ Cotillion, Elizabeth finds herself passing through the vestibule of Somerset House on her way to visit Rudolph Ackermann.

Here’s a peek at Somerset House and a little of the history as it pertains to the novel.

Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex on the south side of the Strand  in central London. It overlooks the River Thames to the east of Waterloo Bridge.  

(The Strand’s name was first recorded in 1185 and derives from the Old English word meaning ‘bank’ or ‘shore’. )

Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, built a Tudor palace on the Strand in 1547, which later served as a royal residence. 

Eventually, after seasons of use, rebuilding, and decay, Somerset House was rebuilt starting in 1775 to serve as a ‘great public building’ housing multiple government offices and public benefit societies.

The Georgian structure comprised a quadrangle that sit over the footprint of the old palace and enclosed a large courtyard. The Royal Academy of Art, the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, and the Society of Antiquaries all resided in the North Wing of Somerset House (along the Thames River) in Jane Austen’s Day. The Navy Board and various other Navy concerns occupied the South Wing and West Wing. The Stamp Office and Tax Office here housed in the South Wing.

In Dragon Keepers’ Cotillion, Elizabeth emerges from the dragon tunnels into the Strand Vestibule, illustrated here.