View of Somerset House View along the north bank of the River Thames from Temple Gardens looking towards Somerset House and the Adelphi Buildings. A number of boats can be seen on the river and groups of well-dressed people walking dogs or standing together are shown in the foreground. Aquatint after Joseph Farington (1747-1821). The Royal Society occupied the eastern half of Somerset House between 1780 and 1857. Before the Victoria Embankment was built in the 1860s, the building fronted the river. 1795