The 5 best small galleries in London

Dulwich opened in 1817 as the world’s first purpose-built public gallery. The permanent collection is of Old Master paintings from France, Italy and Spain. Artists represented include Rembrandt, Poussin, Rubens, Canaletto and Gainsborough. They have excellent exhibitions with recent artists including M.C. Escher, Emily Carr and Nikolai Astrup.

Founded in 1901 as the first purpose-built gallery in the UK and with the aim of bringing art to the people of East London, Whitechapel has a reputation for hosting important exhibitions by international and homegrown contemporary artists. There’s an excellent specialist art bookshop run by German booksellers Koenig, an archive reading room and a smart cafe.

Grand and historic Hertford House has held the Wallace Collection since 1897. Over 25 galleries display fine and decorative artefacts from the 15th to 19th centuries, with paintings by Titian, Boucher, Van Dyck, Rubens and Velázquez, as well as armour, porcelain, miniatures and furniture. The courtyard has been enclosed with a glass roof and houses a restaurant and cafe.

Founded in 1965 and housed in a former public library, this north London gallery exhibits an innovative and inspiring programme of international contemporary art that often focuses on emerging talents. Recent shows have included Kara Walker and Rose English. There’s a bookshop, cafe and garden space too.

Founded in 1891, the South London Gallery is publicly funded and has exhibited contemporary art since the early 1990s. It puts on several shows a year highlighting emerging and midcareer British artists and established international artists. The main top-lit gallery in the Victorian building is one of the finest art spaces in London. There’s a light-filled cafe in a modern extension to the building, a garden and an excellent bookshop that stocks editions by small presses, zines, poetry, fiction, essays and critical theory.