London Attractions - The National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery was formally established on 2 nd of December 1856. It is situated in Central London . Above the entrance of the Gallery are the busts of the three men - all biographers and historians - chiefly responsible for the Gallery's existence. In the centre is Philip Henry Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope (1805-1875); his efforts resulted in the Gallery's foundation in 1856; he is flanked by two of his staunchest supporters, Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) and Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881).

The National Portrait Gallery houses portraits in all mediums, from oil and watercolour to sculpture and drawings depict famous and infamous British men and women from the Tudors to the present day.

In addition to its permanent galleries of historical portraits, the National Portrait Gallery exhibits a rapidly changing collection of contemporary work, stages exhibitions of portrait art by individual artists and hosts the annual BP Portrait Prize competition. Also lectures and tours are held, and holiday programmes are arranged for children.

Major development work undertaken for the millennium has created a Tudor Gallery displaying the earliest works in the collection and a Balcony Gallery for portraits from the 1960s-1980s. There is also a state of the art lecture theatre, an IT Gallery and a roof top restaurant with stunning views.

For more information about the National Portrait Gallery visit: www.npg.org.uk