At St. Martins Place is the site of the National Portrait Gallery, which is home to the most extensive collection of portraits worldwide. The Gallery was founded in 1856 to collect and display pictures of royalty and political figures, althought this has evolved over the years, such that its aim is now to promote understanding and appreciation of portraiture across British culture and history.
The works currently housed there range as far back as the fourteenth century. The twentieth century collection even has portraits of Rolling Stones front man, Mick Jagger and Elton John. One of the most precious images is the only surviving portrait of William Shakespeare, as well as works by Gainsborough, Sargent and Van Dyck.
Set over several floors, the gallery is laid out chronologically with the newest portraits on the ground floor and the eldest at the top. The National Portrait Gallery features fifty portraits of the Queen and sixty-five portraits of William Gladstone. There is a portrait of Henrietta Anne that measures less than an inch squared, and at 52,000 times the size, is an oil painting by Sargent that measures over five metres wide and nearly three metres tall.
The National Portrait Gallery hold regular exhibitions of new works, most of which hold an admission fee, although entrance to the permanent exhibitions and gallery is free. In the roof of the building is a restaurant with breathtaking views of the city.
