Dome of the entrance hall (aka staircase hall), National Gallery, London (England). The National Gallery was founded in 1824 and has a collection of over 2,300 paintings from the mid-13th century to 1900. The present building in London's Trafalgar Square is the third to house the National Gallery, and was designed by William Wilkins from 1832–38. The Staircase Hall was designed by Sir John Taylor in 1884–7.