Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information:
Pick up a map (
£
1 suggested donation) at the information desk. The spa-
cious reading room downstairs is designed as a creative thinking space for the public.
The museum's shops are great for books, magazines, and trinkets. Tel. 020/
7887-8888,
www.tate.org.uk
.
Tours:
Free
guided tours
are generally offered daily at 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, and 15:00,
but call to confirm schedule. Use the Tate's Wi-Fi and download their handy room-
by-room
audio tour.
The museum also hosts games, activities, and art projects for
children (Sat-Sun 11:00-15:00 plus other times as scheduled).
Length of This Tour:
Allow one hour. If you have less time, focus on the Pre-Raphaelites
and Turner.
Cloakroom:
Bag and coat check are free (
£
2 suggested donation).
Photography:
Photos are allowed without a flash or tripod.
Cuisine Art:
Your options are a café with an affordable gourmet buffet line (
£
4-7 sand-
wiches or salads,
£
7-11 hot meals) or a pricey-but-delightful restaurant (one course
for
£
17, two courses for
£
24, three courses for
£
29, daily 12:00-15:00;
£
14 afternoon
tea served Mon-Sat 15:30-17:00, Sun 16:00-17:00).
Starring:
Hogarth, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Blake, Constable, Pre-Raphaelites, and
Turner.
Know Your Tates:
Don't confuse the Tate Britain (British art) with the Tate Modern (at
Bankside, on the South Bank of the Thames across from St. Paul's Cathedral), which
features modern art (
see the Tate Modern Tour chapter).
(See “Tate Britain Overview” map,
here
.)
This tour covers, in roughly chronological order, British paintings from 1500 to today.
Works from the early centuries are located in the west half of the building, 20th-century
art is in the east half, and the works of J. M. W. Turner are in an adjacent wing (the Clore
Gallery). Temporary exhibits (some free, some requiring an entrance fee) are in the east
wing and in the basement.
Though the Tate's layout is roughly chronological, the emphasis here is on
rough
.
Certain artists' work (such as Blake's and Henry Moore's) are placed in special rooms
outside the chronological flow. Other rooms focus on a particular aspect of British art.
In addition, the Tate rotates its vast collection of paintings, so it's difficult to predict ex-
actly which works will be on display. Pick up the latest map as you enter, or download the
