Tate Gallery

The Tate Gallery is a public gallery located on Millbank, built in 1897 by architect Sidney R.J. Smith. It underwent additions in 1909 and 1926 by W Romaine Walker, and the Duveen Galleries were added by John Russell Pope, who also designed the National Gallery in Washington DC, with contributions from Romaine Walker and Jenkins, opening in 1937. A rear extension was added in the 1970s for galleries 25-30, and the Turner (Clore) Gallery wing to the north was designed by James Stirling and completed between 1984 and 1985. The building is constructed of Portland stone and features glazed and leaded roofs.

The architectural style is late Victorian with grand Baroque features, particularly evident in the portico-entrance pavilion, which somewhat affects the overall composition. The layout is symmetrically planned with a grid of top-lit galleries, corner pavilions, and a central axis marked by a prominent porticoed entrance pavilion. This pavilion contains an arched and vaulted vestibule, followed by an octagonal hall and the principal gallery, all raised on a rusticated basement. The Corinthian portico, topped with figures of Britannia and the Lion and Unicorn, is accessed via a broad flight of steps with a balustraded parapet that sweeps around the terrace enclosing the entrance pavilion. The blind flank walls feature an entablature and a balustraded parapet that projects over corner pilastered pavilions with modified Venetian windows.

Inside, the gallery includes a marble-clad arched and vaulted vestibule and a domed octagonal hall. The entrance hall features stained glass by E Bossanyi from 1938-41, while the basement restaurant showcases a large mural by Rex Whistler, considered one of the outstanding mural schemes of the Inter-War years. The restaurant and coffee bar were redesigned by Jeremy Dixon between 1983 and 1985. The Tate Gallery was the first purpose-built gallery in the UK dedicated to national art and was established as a gift from Sir Henry Tate on the site of Thomas Hardwick's Millbank Penitentiary.