Holy smoke! London’s National Gallery used to allow visitors to spark up just metres from the art

London's National Gallery opened a smoking room in 1975, located dangerously close to galleries housing priceless paintings. A photograph from the gallery's annual report shows staff members Betty Churchyard and Phyllis Rowlands using the facility. The smoking room was closed decades ago, well before the 2007 ban on smoking in public places, and the space has now been repurposed as part of the Roden Centre for Creative Learning, which opened in February 2025.