National Portrait Gallery

It's been closed for a three year renovation, but the National Portrait Gallery is back once again to prove that portraits don't have to be stuffy. The NPG has everything from oil paintings of stiff-backed royals to photos of football stars and gloriously unflattering political caricatures. The portraits of musicians, scientists, artists, philanthropists and celebrities are spread across the building. You can find portraits of Tudor and Stuart royals and notables, Georgian writers and artists, Regency greats, military men such as Wellington and Nelson, as well as Byron, Wordsworth and other Romantics. And if you’ve ever wanted to see a blurry painting of Ed Sheeran, and God knows we all have, the NPG is the place to be. The new NPG also features a basement cocktail bar, a brand new wing funded by Sir Leonard Blavatnik (who paid for the Tate's new building too) and doors by Tracey Emin.