Tate Britain
Tate Britain is the home of British art, from Tudor portraits to today's experimenters. Start with Turner's luminous seas in the Clore Gallery, then find Millais's Ophelia glinting with painted river plants. The Duveen Galleries give sculpture room to breathe, while themed rooms set Constable's skies against Bacon's raw figures. The building itself speaks of Millbank's past, yet galleries feel light and clear. Entry is free, with paid exhibitions worth the splurge. Go early for quiet rooms, and give 90 minutes for a crisp circuit, longer if you linger. Pair with a Thames stroll or hop to Westminster for a day of art and architecture.
Opening Hours
What's not to miss inside?
Turner Collection
World’s largest Turner holdingsThe Clore Gallery opened in 1987 to house J. M. W. Turner’s bequest - hundreds of oils and thousands of works on paper.
📍 Clore Gallery
Ophelia
Millais’ 1851-52 masterpiecePainted from life with real river plants, Ophelia’s dress was soaked in a bath so it clung and shimmered like the river.
📍 Main floor, Pre-Raphaelites
Duveen Galleries
Grand classical enfiladeOpened in 1937, these long halls frame large-scale sculpture and installations beneath coffered ceilings.
📍 Central sculpture halls
British Icons
Constable to BaconFrom Constable’s skies to Francis Bacon’s raw portraits, galleries chart 500 years of British art and ideas.
📍 Permanent collection
Rotunda Entrance
Neo-classical statementOpened in 1897 as the National Gallery of British Art, the building sits on the former site of Millbank Prison.
📍 Millbank, central dome
Inspire your Friends
- Tate Britain opened in 1897, funded by sugar magnate Henry Tate.
- The Clore Gallery (1987), designed by James Stirling, was purpose-built for Turner’s bequest.
- The site once held Millbank Prison (opened 1816), demolished in the 1890s.
- John Everett Millais reportedly kept model Elizabeth Siddal in a bath to paint Ophelia’s water effects.
- Tate Britain holds the largest collection of works by J. M. W. Turner anywhere.
