Tate Britain

Henry Tate, who made his money from sugar cubes, gave his collection and the money for a building, and the gallery opened at Millbank in 1897 on the site of a former prison. It holds British art across five centuries: Tudor and Stuart portraits, Hogarth, Gainsborough, Blake, the Pre-Raphaelites, Stanley Spencer, Bacon and Hockney, hung chronologically in a long walk through the centuries. Its greatest holding is the Turner Bequest, around three hundred oil paintings and thirty thousand works on paper that Turner left to the nation on his death in 1851, displayed in the Clore Gallery built for them in 1987. The Turner Prize is awarded here in alternate years.

What you actually see

• The Turner Bequest - the artist's own collection in the purpose-built Clore Gallery.
• The chronological walk - five hundred years of British art in sequence.
• The Pre-Raphaelites - Millais's Ophelia and its contemporaries.
• The Turner Prize - awarded here in alternate years with a shortlist exhibition.

When to go

Year-round; it is markedly quieter than Tate Modern and rarely crowded outside major exhibitions. The Tate Boat runs along the river between the two galleries with a Damien Hirst spot livery.

Honest expectations

Temporary shows are ticketed and can be expensive. The building is less dramatic than Tate Modern and gets a fraction of its visitors. Turner works on paper rotate for conservation, so specific pieces may not be up.

Nearby

Westminster and Parliament are north along the river; the Tate Boat runs to Tate Modern.