 Somerset House was built by Edward Seymour , Duke of Somerset , regent of England from <unk> to 1549 , demolishing three <unk> and the church of the <unk> of Our Lady and the <unk> in the process . After Somerset was executed in 1552 , it became an occasional residence for Princess Elizabeth . On her ascension to the throne in 1558 , she returned part of the house to Seymour 's family ( with ownership passing to his son , Edward Seymour , 1st Earl of <unk> ) with the remainder being an occasional meeting place for the Royal Society . After Elizabeth 's death in 1603 , it was owned by Anne of Denmark , wife of James VI and I. The building was renamed Denmark House in commemoration of Anne 's brother , Christian IV of Denmark . Following James ' death in 1625 , his body lay there <unk> for a month . It was taken over by Parliament in 1645 following the Civil War , renaming it back to Somerset House . It had an irregular series of owners and residents for much of the 18th century until its demolition in 1775 . The house was rebuilt as a series of government buildings . The Stamp Office , later to become the Inland Revenue was established in Somerset House in 1789 . In the late 20th century , a number of art galleries were set up on vacant parts , including the <unk> Institute of Art and the King 's College London School of Law . 
