The Friends of the Hermitage becomes the UK sole representative of the great museum from 1 April 2008. From November 2000 to November 2007 a second charity, the Hermitage Development Trust, ran exhibitions from the Hermitage in the 'Hermitage Rooms at Somerset House'. The rooms were beautifully decorated in imitation of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg - marquetry floors, chandeliers, replica furniture etc. The exhibition space is now closed for lack of funds and our charity has been given two of the rooms, facing the courtyard, to run as UK base for the Hermitage. They will be used as an office and library/meeting room. It is most important to us that we can afford to keep these rooms open to the public, to answer enquiries about the Hermitage collections and give access to a library dedicated to the museum. We also envisage using them for small lectures, meetings etc and as a space for visiting curators to use for private meetings or research.