National Gallery Late

The National Gallery is one of the most stunning, free visitors attractions in the world. Who wouldn’t be impressed to look up from Trafalgar Square to see the Classical columns and heavy portico of its stepped entrance?

Once inside, the experience can be overwhelming but the space is well signposted and there are plenty of maps on hand.

The gallery is open late on Thursday evenings, and the openings are usually enhanced by live events and curatorial talks.

Their collection of Western historical paintings (with an emphasis on British artists) is breathtaking.

Having the time to visit a gallery seems like such a luxury (when I’m not on holiday or entertaining my children); spending more than an hour in the National Gallery was a real treat.

I stood at the back whilst a curator gave humorous answers to overly earnest questions and I dropped in on a short piano recital but, of course, it was a painting that stole the show.

Walking between galleries, hung on a blood red wall is the horse portrait, Whistlejacket, by George Stubbs. Its wide, gilt frame, the balance of lighting, the position on the wall, all combine to enhance this stunning study of equine beauty. I stood for so long, staring at that horse, that its image will be permanently burnt into my memory.