With its tall tower and stern exterior, the Tate Modern building is truly one of a kind. First opened as the Bankside Power Station then repurposed as a Museum of Modern Art, it is the the only building in London to have been inaugurated twice by Queen Elizabeth II.
It is now the home of Modern Art in London. Start your exploration in the gigantic turbine hall that hosts massive works of art, then go up to the galleries where you will find world-famous exhibits such as Marcel Duchamp's Fountain and Marc Rothko's Seagram Murals.
You can then enjoy a rest in one of Tate Modern's lovely cafes before making your way to the museum's new extension, the Switch House (also known as the Blavatnik Building), providing a new set of display spaces, such as the underground Tanks dedicated to performances, installations and video work.
And at the top of the Switch House, you will find a bar with an open viewing terrace giving you stunning views of the River Thames and the London Skyline. A perfect way to end your visit. Don't forget to pop by one of the shops to get a souvenir!
The original building of Bankside Power Station was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the British architect responsible for Battersea Power Station and also the tradional red telephone box. The building was built in two stages between 1947 and 1963 and operated as a power station right up until 1981. The building was formed of three main parts - the massive Turbine Hall, the boiler house and the switch house. It was 660ft long with a tall chimney in the centre.
The site was in danger of being demolished until the Tate stepped in with an announcement in 1994 that the power station was to become the new Tate Modern art gallery. Architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron won a design competition to secure the order for the redevelopment of the site. The Turbine Hall was retained and a two-story glass extension added to one half of the roof. Due to the great success of the gallery, more space was acquired from EDF Energy to extend the site. The museum's new extension, the Switch House opened in 2016 along with The Tanks—three enormous underground storage tanks now used for performance art.
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