Visitors in pedestrian zone outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, central London. Standing or cycling along the pavement below the pillars and columns of the gallery, we see various tourists and Londoners passing-by. Founded in 1824, the National Gallery houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. It was designed by William Wilkins from 1832–8. Only the façade onto Trafalgar Square remains essentially unchanged from this time, as the building has been expanded piecemeal throughout its history.