The gallery opened in 1824 to exhibit 38 paintings purchased by the government. The UK national collection is relatively small because unlike in Europe, the monarch’s collection was not nationalised.
At 1.5 acres Kensington Roof gardens is the largest roof garden in the whole of Europe. The gardens have been owned by Richard Branson's Virgin group since 1981.
The site of the famous Gherkin was formerly occupied by the Baltic Exchange, a historic building which was damaged by an IRA bomb in 1992.
