Pimlico isn’t in Greater Kennington, so let us apologise in advance. However, you can actually kind of see it from Greater Kennington, so yesterday we packed our passport to Pimlico to check out Tate Britain on it’s first week of reopening. 

There have been split opinions in the media about the efficacy of reopening museums in the midst of a pandemic. Some see it as unsafe and also burdensome to have to be allocated a slot to view a painting, while others see it as crucial to an institutions’ survival and a source of inspiration for folks. All public galleries in London now operate via timed entry only, booked online (which means you can’t just swan in off the street). At Tate you are asked to choose two ‘routes’ through the free stuff; 1540-1890 or 1930-now.  Booking was easy enough with plenty of open slots.

We approached the gallery with an ominous feeling that we might be the only people in there, but were pleasantly surprised. It was about as busy as usual and felt quite normal (well if your definition of normal extends to walking around looking like a bank robber). There were arrows on the floor to guide you through the collections but it was more or less the route taken anyway, and there was no harm in visiting a previous room if you desire. There was no queuing in front of paintings and the rooms felt well spread out, with plenty of gallery guides present to ensure that it stayed that way. 

Some of the rooms are closed (such as the Turner galleries) but most are open. The giftshop and Djanogly café are open, and the acclaimed ‘Steve McQueen Year 3’ exhibit in the main gallery has been extended. The cloakroom ain’t gonna happen, however, so leave your giant suitcase at home and enjoy!  Oh, and the exit is now through a small door in the cafe.