Somerset House in 2016 offered a quiet detour from the Strand, with a huge courtyard, a terrace facing the Thames and a coffee stop tucked inside its stone walls. This short film also looks back at Zak Ové’s striking sculpture installation for the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair.
The video was originally published on 28 October 2016. It combines my walk around the building with footage from the previous week, when the sculptures still filled the courtyard. The cafés and seasonal observations below belong to that archive visit.
Stepping off the Strand
From the busy road outside, Somerset House gave little away about the places to eat and drink within. I crossed the Strand and walked through the entrance passage, leaving the traffic behind for the open courtyard.
The change of pace was part of the appeal. A few moments earlier, I had been waiting to cross a busy London street. Now there was space to look around, take in the façades and decide where to go next. Even without an exhibition, the architecture gave me plenty to film.
Zak Ové’s sculptures at Somerset House in 2016
The figures had already gone when I returned for this walk. However, I had filmed them during my visit the previous week, so I included that earlier footage in the video. It shows how completely an installation could change the atmosphere of the courtyard.
In the film, I introduce the work as Black and Blue: The Invisible Man and the Masque of Blackness by Zak Ové. The accompanying footage shows rows of tall, dark figures set against the pale stone of Somerset House. Visitors move between them, giving a sense of their scale.
The repeated forms are striking from a distance. Up close, the camera picks out their faces, raised arms and patterned surfaces. The film moves between those details and wider views, keeping the surrounding building in sight. This is a brief courtyard encounter with the work, rather than a tour of all the art fair’s galleries.
Through the South Wing to the terrace
Next, I continued through the South Wing towards the river. During this visit, Tom’s Kitchen was one of the places to eat inside the building. I took a look through this part of Somerset House before stepping onto the terrace.
From there, the trees, river and road below gave the visit a different outlook. The courtyard enclosed the view with architecture; the terrace opened it towards the Thames. I paused to look around, then headed back across the building for coffee.
The narration also wanders through Somerset House’s past. For this article, the walk itself is the thread: entrance, courtyard, riverside terrace and café, all within a short visit.
Fernandez & Wells coffee stop
I chose Fernandez & Wells in the East Wing. It was the kind of place that could be easy to miss from the street, despite being so close to Covent Garden. Inside, the counter was stacked with filled bread and sandwiches, with menus and bottles behind.
I was saving lunch for the next stop, so I ordered a black filter coffee to take away. My verdict in the film was straightforward: good coffee. I drank it in the courtyard before setting off towards Trafalgar Square for Africa on the Square.
Somerset House also appears in my Diwali day out in London in 2016, with another coffee stop after lunch at the India Club. Together, the films capture a small part of my autumn walks around the Strand and Trafalgar Square.
Watch the Somerset House film
The full video follows the walk through the courtyard, past the sculpture footage and out to the terrace. It ends with coffee and a return to the Strand. I also look ahead to winter skating, which was still to come when I recorded the visit.
