London

===Museums, art galleries and libraries===
[[File:Kensington Museums aerial 2011 b.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of [[Albertopolis]]. The [[Albert Memorial]], [[Royal Albert Hall]], [[Royal Geographical Society]], and [[Royal College of Art]] are visible near the top; [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] and [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] at the lower end; [[Imperial College London|Imperial College]], [[Royal College of Music]], and [[Science Museum, London|Science Museum]] lying in between.]]

London is [[List of museums in London|home to many museums]], galleries, and other institutions, many of which are free of admission charges and are major [[tourist attraction]]s as well as playing a research role. The first of these to be established was the [[British Museum]] in [[Bloomsbury]], in 1753.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Life and Curiosity of Hans Sloane|url=https://www.bl.uk/events/the-life-and-curiosity-of-hans-sloane|access-date=27 March 2021|website=The British Library|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119150309/https://www.bl.uk/events/the-life-and-curiosity-of-hans-sloane|url-status=dead}}</ref> Originally containing antiquities, natural history specimens, and the national library, the museum now has 7&nbsp;million artefacts from around the globe. In 1824, the [[National Gallery]] was founded to house the British national collection of Western paintings; this now occupies a prominent position in [[Trafalgar Square]].<ref>{{citation |last= Liscombe |first= R. W.|year= 1980|title= William Wilkins, 1778–1839 |place= Cambridge |publisher= Cambridge University Press|pages=180–82 }}</ref>

The [[British Library]] is the second [[List of largest libraries|largest library in the world]], and the [[national library]] of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sen Nag |first=Oishimaya |date=5 March 2018 |title=The Largest Libraries In The World |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/5-largest-libraries-in-the-world.html |access-date=30 March 2021 |website=World Atlas |language=en-US}}</ref> There are many other research libraries, including the [[Wellcome Library]] and [[Dana Library and Research Centre|Dana Centre]], as well as [[academic library|university libraries]], including the [[British Library of Political and Economic Science]] at [[London School of Economics|LSE]], the [[Imperial College London Abdus Salam Library|Abdus Salam Library]] at [[Imperial College London|Imperial]], the [[Maughan Library]] at [[King's College London|King's]], and the [[Senate House Libraries]] at the [[University of London]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bayley |first=Sian |date=21 February 2019 |title=Best libraries in London: The V&A, British Library, Wellcome Trust, BFI and more |work=Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/futurelondon/culturecity/best-libraries-in-london-wellcome-trust-british-library-canada-water-victoria-and-albert-guildhall-a4072696.html |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref>

In the latter half of the 19th century the locale of [[South Kensington]] was developed as "[[Albertopolis]]", a cultural and scientific quarter. Three major national museums are there: the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]], and the [[London Science Museum|Science Museum]]. The [[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]] was founded in 1856 to house depictions of figures from British history; its holdings now comprise the world's most extensive collection of portraits.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cullinan (Director) |first=Nicholas |title=Organisation – National Portrait Gallery |url=http://www.npg.org.uk/about/organisation.php |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=National Portrait Gallery}}</ref> The national gallery of British art is at [[Tate Britain]], originally established as an annexe of the National Gallery in 1897. The Tate Gallery, as it was formerly known, also became a major centre for modern art. In 2000, this collection moved to [[Tate Modern]], a new gallery housed in the former [[Bankside Power Station]] which is accessed by pedestrians north of the Thames via the [[Millennium Bridge, London|Millennium Bridge]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Millennium Bridge |url=https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/442404-millennium-bridge |access-date=27 July 2022 |work=Visit London}}</ref>