Hayward Gallery

Over het museum

The Hayward Gallery opened on 9 July 1968 as part of the Southbank Centre arts complex on the south bank of the Thames. A team of architects at the Greater London Council designed it, and it is one of the best-known examples of Brutalist architecture in Britain, with exposed concrete and a stacked, angular form. The building is named after Sir Isaac Hayward, a former leader of the London County Council.

For its first years the Arts Council of Great Britain ran the gallery, and it was the home of the Arts Council Collection until 2002. Since 1986 the Southbank Centre has managed it. The gallery has no permanent collection of its own. Instead, it stages a small number of large exhibitions of modern and contemporary art each year, mostly surveys devoted to a single artist, and it is also the base of the Arts Council's national touring exhibitions programme.

The public spaces are arranged over two levels of galleries that are linked by concrete staircases, with outdoor terraces above. Smaller free displays are shown in the HENI Project Space, and a café and a shop are on site. The Hayward Gallery is one of several venues that make up the Southbank Centre, together with the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room.

Hoogtepunten

• Brutalist concrete building from 1968 by the Greater London Council architects
• Major temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, with no permanent collection
• HENI Project Space with free, unticketed small-scale displays
• Guided exhibition tours for ticket holders on set dates
• Free public art in the outdoor spaces around the Southbank Centre

Opgericht

1968

Beheerder

Southbank Centre

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Admission is charged per exhibition. The current major exhibition costs £22; some smaller shows are free. Members of the Southbank Centre enter exhibitions free. The HENI Project Space is free and unticketed. Cash is not accepted at the venue. If an exhibition is sold out, no tickets are sold at the door.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The Southbank Centre states that its exhibition spaces, toilets and cafés are accessible. In October 2026 the Southbank Centre reported that the lift to the Hayward Gallery was out of order, and some Royal Festival Hall lifts were also being refurbished, so visitors should check the access page for the current situation before they travel. A step-free alternative leads from the Queen Elizabeth Hall slip road via the Royal Festival Hall lift to Level 2 and then along the Riverside Terrace. Four free Blue Badge spaces are on the Queen Elizabeth Hall slip road, and Blue Badge holders can also park free in the National Theatre car park (330 metres away). The Access Scheme gives concessionary tickets with a free seat for a companion. Staff offer help to blind and partially sighted visitors.

Kinderen & gezin

The gallery itself publishes no separate family programme. The wider Southbank Centre site offers many family events and workshops, a Little Library for children and free public art outdoors.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Waterloo is also the nearest National Rail station. There is a drop-off point on the slip road outside Southbank Centre Square. The site lies inside the London Congestion Charge and ULEZ zones. Bicycle parking is in Southbank Centre Square.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel
• Garderobe

The Hayward Gallery Cafe serves sandwiches, salads, cakes and coffee, and there is a gallery shop. A cloakroom for coats, umbrellas and small bags costs £2 per item.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur

Tot 300 personen.

The gallery can be hired for breakfasts, evening receptions and fashion shows for up to 300 guests.

Je bezoek plannen