Tate Modern

A brief history of Tate Modern

A cathedral to modern art
In 1992, the Tate Gallery organisation decided and made it clear their desire for a second location for modern art from around the world. 

The enigmatic and striking defunct Bankside Power was chosen as the new spot. The original building was built by the City of London Electric Lighting Company in 1891, and it was a fine piece of cutting edge technology at the time. The direct current electricity supplied power to street lamps in Queen Victoria Street in 1891. 

Sir Giles Gilbert Scott
Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, was the architect of a redeveloped Bankside B power station in the 1940s. The carefully designed building is for many a thing of industrial beauty from the man who designed London's famous red telephone box and Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. 

The appeal of the site was the huge spaces within, especially the beautifully proportioned turbine hall at 35 metres high (115 ft) and 152 metres long (500 ft). After the removal of the giant pieces of machinery, the nature of the space revealed itself. It became a breath-taking lobby of gigantic proportions, perfect for the display enormous works of rotating modern art. 

Forty million people and rising
Forty million people have visited Tate Modern since opening in the year 2000. The site has developed further to become a true work of art, hopefully not overshadowing the exhibits.  

Children seem to love Tate Modern more than any other age group. It could be the way they use their imaginations or freedom in the way they interpret works. Please consider Tate Modern on a family tour of London.  

Touring and accommodation 
If cutting edge contemporary design is your thing, let us help you choose a strikingly modern place to stay, a place with art at its core - please contact us. London has many hotel options, including more five-star places to stay than any other city on earth. Where do you start? Please take a look at our recommended hotel list; the Best 4-star and 5-star accommodation in London.

Arrive at the Tate in style, book our Private Thames Boat Tour and complete the day by Horse Drawn Carriage. It is important to make your vacation special. 

If you are a passionate art lover book a specialist guide for the day and have them treat you to the highlights of London's best art galleries. See Tate Modern, Tate Britain and The National Gallery, plus anything else you can squeeze in; there is so much more. Please let us help you design a tour that will be perfect for you. Our Tour Designers will devise an itinerary from scratch or suggest one of our carefully planned itineraries. Our Royal London Tour and the Old City of London Tour are the perfect combinations for a first-time visit.