In June 2023, London’s Grade I-listed National Portrait Gallery reopened after a three-year, £41 million refurbishment programme that saw the interior of the building completely remodelled and major changes made to the exterior.
The biggest change was to the main entrance, which was repositioned and is now approached from an open forecourt on the north side of the building that was built by FM Conway as part of the refurbishment project.
Creating the forecourt involved laying 700m2 of York stone slabs, 250m of granite setts, 78m of curved granite steps and over 6m of large bespoke granite benches. The steps and benches are huge, with complex curved shapes that have very little margin for error in their final position.
“The old garden area has been completely transformed. The grass has already been removed, and the statue was taken away and brought back to a new location.”
The work was carried out in four phases, with different parts of the site handed over to the main contractor in each phase. FM Conway’s Traffic Management team arranged all the traffic management and organised the necessary permits with the City of Westminster.
The site is in between Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square, so footfall is extremely high. The team had to ensure pedestrians were kept separate from the work but also provide access for the contractor to the building when they needed it.
FM Conway completed the forecourt at the end of May, ahead of a series of events in June that included a ceremonial opening by the Gallery’s patron, The Princess of Wales.
“The National Portrait Gallery’s Inspiring People project has comprised the largest and most comprehensive development in its history.”