London’s Somerset House fire: Relief as art gallery reopens

The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House has reopened to the public after a fire in the building, but the rest of the landmark remains closed “until further notice”.

About 125 firefighters were called to tackle the blaze as smoke billowed across central London on Saturday.

Visitors queued outside the gallery before it opened at 10:00 BST on Sunday, with one person telling the BBC he was “sad” to see the fire but “relieved” the art was safe.

The fire was in an area of the building that was not housing any valuable art and no injuries were reported. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

Paul Clark, his wife Jiorgia and their four children travelled to London from Washington state, in the US, on holiday.

The family saw firefighters battling the blaze while they were on the London Eye on Saturday.

“It was sad to see,” Mr Clark told the BBC.

He said they were all worried the artwork had been damaged but were “very relieved” to hear it was safe.

Mr Clark said he is a huge fan of Vincent Van Gogh. The gallery houses the painter’s famed Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear.

A fire broke out in the west wing of the building, which is mostly used for offices and storage, at about midday on Saturday.

The director of Somerset House Trust, Jonathan Reekie, said there were “no valuable artefacts or artworks” in that part of the building.

The day after the blaze, multiple fire engines were still parked outside.

Somerset House is on the Strand in central London and is currently used as an arts venue.

The Georgian-era buildings and square were built on the site of a palace dating back to the Tudors.

The venue is home to the Courtauld Gallery, an art museum that houses the collection of the Samuel Courtauld Trust, including masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century.

The gallery also features works by impressionists Edouard Manet, Claude Monet and Paul Cezanne.

Somerset House regularly hosts exhibitions and experiences such as ice skating within its famous courtyard.