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The Tate Gallery - now Tate Britain - was named in honour of Sir Henry Tate, the sugar merchant, who donated the original collection. It houses the national collection of British paintings from the 16th-20th centuries. Other collections housed at the Tate include the Turner Bequest and modern prints created after 1945.

The Tate Gallery was opened in 1897, it was built on the site of Millbank prison, which was demolished in 1892. Following the bequest of modern paintings from the collection of Sir Hugh Lane it also became the National Gallery of Modern Foreign Art.

Sidney J.R. Smith, the architect chosen by Sir Henry Tate, designed the first eight galleries and the stunning portico and river frontage. Over the years a number of extensions have been built to provide more galleries to house the ever-growing collection, such as the Clore Gallery, opened in 1987 for the Turner Collection.

As of the count made in 1994, the Tate Gallery's collection comprised:

•  4,121 paintings;
• 1,300 sculptures;
• 3,495 works on paper;
• 38,000 works on paper in the Turner Bequest;
• 9,441 prints and
• 348 miscellaneous items.

The Tate was awarded fifty million pounds from the British National Lottery, this was used to open a new gallery inside the old Bankside Power Station on the South Bank, once known as the Cathedral of Power. The Tate Modern opened there in 2000 to mark the Millennium.

Admission is FREE

Opening Times: Monday - Sunday 10:00 - 17:50

Nearest Underground (Tube) Station: Pimlico.