Tate Britain

Overlooking the Thames in a seemingly [but not really] nowheresville bit of London, Tate Britain ranks high on a list of must-see London galleries for anyone interested in art. Built in 1897, this is by far the oldest of the Tate's four British outlets, the others being London's Tate Modern [see entry] and galleries up north in Liverpool and in the southwestern-tip town of St. Ives, Cornwall. This mothershp has that weighty old-museum feel to it, with a serious collection to match, showcasing British works from 1500 to the present day — including the world's largest assemblage of paintings by JMW Turner — and 20th-century works by both British and International artists. Here you'll find Millais, Rosetti, Richard Dadd, Gainsborough, Reynolds, John Martin, Hogarth, Blake, Stubbs, Bacon, Henry Moore and Whistler. Contemporary art has a place here too, but down the river at Tate Modern is where the 20th century makes its biggest splash. Oddly, the annual Turner Prize (for a living artist under 50) is staged here at Tate Britain. Free entry except temporary exhibitions. Food options include famed basement restaurant Rex Whisteler, opened in 1927 and visually marked by Whistler's own mural The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats. In 2017 the gallery staged the popular exhibition Queer British Art 1861–1967. Tube station: Pimlico. Landmarks within easy reach: Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), Westminster Abbey, English caff lunch at the Regency Cafe [see entry] and, just over the bridge, the mostly nocturnally gay area Vauxhall.