The National Gallery was established in April 1824 when the British Parliament agreed to pay £57,000 for the picture collection of John Julius Angerstein, intending to put the art on display for the enjoyment and education of the public. This Western European collection of Renaissance era pictures was initially displayed at Angerstein's private house in Pall Mall. However, the Gallery became hot and cramped when it was busy. The public also complained of its diminutive size when it was compared to other national Galleries, particularly the impressive Louvre in Paris. It was soon decided that a purpose-built Gallery should be constructed.

A site was chosen for the new Gallery in Trafalgar Square, due to it being considered the very centre of London. It was felt that the public, regardless of social class, would have easy access to the Gallery if it was in a central location. And so, work began on the new Gallery in 1832, featuring large, stunning columns in front of the central portico. Set to also house the Royal Academy of the Arts, the Gallery did so until the Academy found a new home in Piccadilly in 1868.

It was also during 1868 that the new building began receiving criticism from the public, so much so in fact that the government asked another architect, E.M Barry to submit designs for rebuilding the entire Gallery. Eventually it was decided to let the old building remain, but to add a new wing to it. Work on this was completed in 1876, resulting in seven new exhibition rooms at the east end of the building.

Further developments took place in 1907 when Trustees won their battle for additional space for the Gallery - no mean feat when considering the space constraints in central London! Barracks to the rear of the building were cleared and five new galleries were constructed.

When the Second World War broke out across Europe, the threat of widespread bombing to London was quickly realised by the government who began evacuating painting to secret locations (namely Wales) after the Gallery shut its doors to the public. A wise move, as the first bomb fell on the Gallery in October 1940 followed by further bombing of the surrounding Trafalgar Square area.

The Gallery opened once more after the war and continued to please art lovers everywhere. In 1975 a new Northern Extension was opened by the Queen, providing considerably more space for exhibits, including nine large rooms and three smaller "cabinet" rooms. These new galleries were also designed to make use of natural lighting as much possible, adding to the ambience.

A further wing (The Sainsbury) was opened in 1991, filling a vacant site next to the gallery that was once a furniture shop, destroyed by bombing during the war. Since this day, the beautiful, well designed Gallery has continued impressing visitors from all over the world, showcasing one of the finest collections of Western European paintings in the world with local area hotels in London finding themselves consistently full of art lovers wishing to see the tremendous works on display.

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