I finally got round to visiting the refurbished East Wing recently, and was able to have a quick look at the central staircase for the first time. It is really elegant – over six floors. The treads are plain rectangles in cross-section up to the ground floor, then continue with a swept soffit. Like the other staircases in Somerset House there are some very nicely detailed transitions between the flights and landings and half landings.
It was a shame to see a few poorly matched repairs to some of the treads and an odd downstand along the edge of the stone landing.
Original design by William Chambers (1723 – 1796)
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