Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shakespeare; Oliver Cromwell and Charles I with his head on; portraits by Gainsborough
and Reynolds; the Romantics (William Blake, Lord Byron, William Wordsworth, and
company); Queen Victoria and her era; and the present royal family, including the late
Princess Diana.
The collection is well-described, not huge, and in historical sequence, from the 16th
century on the second floor to today's royal family on the ground floor.
Cost and Hours:
Free, but suggested donation of
£
5, special exhibits extra; daily
10:00-18:00, Thu-Fri until 21:00, first and second floors open Mon at 11:00, last entry to
special exhibits one hour before closing; audioguide-
£
3, floor plan-
£
1; entry 100 yards off
Trafalgar Square (around the corner from National Gallery, opposite Church of St. Martin-
in-the-Fields), Tube: Charing Cross or Leicester Square, tel. 020/7306-0055, recorded info
tel. 020/7312-2463,
www.npg.org.uk
.
See the National Portrait Gallery Tour chapter.
▲
St. Martin-in-the-Fields
The church, built in the 1720s with a Gothic spire atop a Greek-type temple, is an oasis
of peace on wild and noisy Trafalgar Square. St. Martin cared for the poor. “In the fields”
was where the first church stood on this spot (in the 13th century), between Westminster
and The City. Stepping inside, you still feel a compassion for the needs of the people in
this neighborhood—the church serves the homeless and houses a Chinese community cen-
ter. The modern east window—with grillwork bent into the shape of a warped cross—was
installed in 2008 to replace one damaged in World War II.
A freestanding glass pavilion to the left of the church serves as the entrance to the
church's underground areas. There you'll find the concert ticket office, a gift shop, brass-
rubbing center, and the recommended support-the-church Café in the Crypt.
