Tate Britain was founded in 1897 on the site of a prison called the Millbank Penitentiary. Originally called the National Gallery of British Art, thanks to the endowment from sugar magnate Henry Tate that funded it, it has long been known as the Tate. The gallery has been outgrowing its site ever since 1917 when it also became responsible for Britain’s collection of modern art. The building was expanded in 1987 when James Stirling’s Clore Galleries were built to house the Tate’s collection of paintings by JMW Turner. Since the opening of Tate Modern in 2000, the museum has benefited from the extra space and been able to return exclusively to displaying British art, the purpose for which Henry Tate intended it.
Designed by Victorian architect Sidney Smith, this is the sort of building that works best from the inside out. It is a brilliant place to look at art, featuring grand airy galleries, acres of natural light and the best space for viewing sculpture in London at its heart. Now the gallery has been rendered even more ‘user friendly’ by the completion of new galleries and a new lower ground floor entrance by John Miller & Partners which add openness, accessibility and modernity. The expansion opens the Tate up to the west adding a highly contemporary lower ground floor entry point.
The beauty of Tate Britain as a venue is the range and flexibility that the scale and variety of its rooms and spaces offer. Why not arrive by boat on a summer evening? Or entertain with musicians in the surrounding raised colonnade, where the acoustics are excellent.
Many of the available spaces contain permanent collections of different kinds, so you can choose your space to suit the theme or mood you desire or combine different rooms for different effects and purposes.
To add to the atmosphere, backdrops or uplighting using coloured gels and gobos can be arranged. Dining spaces at Tate Britain include the high grandeur of permanent collection gallery XI or the intimate and beautiful basement restaurant with its Rex Whistler murals. Whichever option is chosen the event can be accompanied by talks, guided tours and entertainment provided by external suppliers.