Opened in 1856, it was the brainchild of Philip Stanhope, Thomas Carlyle, and Thomas Macaulay who are commemorated in stone busts above the main entrance to the gallery. The intention of the gallery was to house portraits of impressive British personages.

This is a gallery more about history than art, the portraits have been chosen based on the status of the subject, rather than the artistic quality of the portrait.

The gallery contains over 11,000 portraits in its Primary Collection, of which around 4,000 are paintings, miniatures, or sculptures. Most of these are displayed regularly, while the other 7,000 works are light-sensitive and are displayed less frequently.

The gallery also has a Reference Collection and a Photographs Collection.

The sheer number and wide range of portraits makes the National Portrait Gallery the most comprehensive of such collections. There is a very large collection of paintings of Kings, Queens, and other royals; the famous portraits of Elizabeth I and Henry VIII can be seen here.

You can also see an amazing collection of Tudor portraits and the only known picture of William Shakespeare.

The National Portrait Gallery has educational programs for children and free family activities on weekends and holidays. The gallery also sponsors the BP Portrait Award, a world-wide portrait competition bringing out the best in contemporary portrait painting and boasting an amazing first prize award of £25,000.

Visiting the National Portrait Gallery is easy; it is located close to Trafalgar Square and the Leicester Square and Charing Cross Underground stations.

While you are there, you might enjoy dining at the Portrait Restaurant, a lovely and very popular rooftop restaurant boasting some of the best views in the city. Lunch is served daily, and dinner is served on Thursdays and Fridays, coinciding with the gallery’s extended hours on those days.

The National Portrait Gallery in London is a wonderful place to catch a glimpse of the city and the history of the nation as seen through the faces of its most important people.

National Portrait Gallery

Address: St. Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE

Telephone: 020 7312 2463

Opening Times

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday 10am-6pm, Thursday and Friday 10am-9pm | Last admission is 45 minutes before the Gallery closes.

Pricing

Free. Special exhibitions prices vary.

Photo courtesy: Ethan Prater

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