Mr Monkey looked at the Thames from the Somerset House terrace. When Somerset House replaced an earlier royal palace on the site this terrace was actually above the Thames, and barges could sail into the basement of the building through large arches below the terrace. There's no access from the river now because between 1865 and 1870 Joseph Bazalgette built the Victoria Embankment and there's an underground railway line and a main sewer between the arch and the water, but people can walk in on their feet. Mr Monkey scampered across Waterloo Bridge and looked back at Somerset House from the south side of the Thames.
Return to Mr Monkey visits Somerset House
Copyright Rik Shepherd and Mr Monkey. This page last modified 4th February 2008