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Free Tate Britain Workshop

Story Space

Open every weekend and Mondays during term-time. Every day during school holidays
Story Space at Tate Britain - a colourful room with books - people reading and making art

Story Space, Manton Studio, Tate Britain, © Pearl Cook

A place for all to read, imagine, play and create

Explore the growing Story Space book collection, celebrating books that centre children of colour, featuring books by black authors, indigenous authors and authors of colour from around the world. Story Space also includes books by authors and about characters who have protected characteristics such as disability, sexual orientation and religion/ belief.

Read to yourself, to someone else, with each other, out loud. Once you’ve discovered some new stories, tell your own story through our dress-up and drawing activities!

Looking for inspiration for stories of your own? Take a look round the galleries and discover ideas for new characters and settings.

Story Space Events

Please note, we no longer run monthly Read Aloud events, but occasionally run events in collaboration with Tate Publishing. 

Our next Story Space event is:

Grandma's Locs: Read Aloud and Draw Along with author Karen Arthur and illustrator Camilla Ru - 26 October 2024

During term-time Story Space is used independently by local community groups St. Vincent's Family Project and Culturetree and the Art Fund/Nesta Mini Wonders programme. Please contact local@tate.org.uk for more information about this offer.

Curated by Tate’s Early Years and Families’ team in collaboration with Tate Children’s Publishing. Graphics by Jade Wheaton. Facilitated by Tate’s Family Engagement Assistants.

Our book collection has grown in collaboration with the support of Roundtable Books, New Beacon Books and other independent bookstores/ publishers.

The Story Space collection consists of books that centre children of colour by black, indigenous authors/ illustrators and authors/ illustrators of colour from all over the world. It also celebrates and centres books by authors with protected characteristics such as disability, sexual orientation and religion/ belief.

The Early Years and Families team started programming Story Space in 2017 (originally curated by artist and academic Jessie McLaughlin), when only 4% of children’s books published in the UK featured a character who was from a minority ethnic background.

This rose to 20% in 2021. The percentage of books published with a main character from minority ethnic backgrounds has risen year on year but remains low (9% in 2021), meaning that over a third of English primary school pupils still find it difficult to see themselves reflected in the books they read.

This information is compiled by the Centre for Literacy and Primary Education through their Reflecting Realities reporting.

Download our free guide and make your own Story Space at home, at school and in other community settings.

Tate Britain's step-free entrance is on Atterbury Street. It has automatic sliding doors and there is a ramp down to the entrance with central handrails.

  • Accessible, standard and Changing Places toilets are located on the Lower floor.
  • Ear defenders can be borrowed from the ticket desk on the Lower floor.

To help plan your visit to Tate Britain, have a look at our visual story. It includes photographs and information about what you can expect from a visit to the gallery.Download Tate Britain mapFor more information before your visit:

  • Email hello@tate.org.uk
  • Call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (daily 10.00–17.00)

Check all Tate Britain accessibility information

Tate Britain

Manton Studio

Entry via the Manton Entrance

Millbank
London SW1P 4RG
Plan your visit

Dates

Open every weekend and Mondays during term-time. Every day during school holidays

10.00–17.00

Supported by

Lockton logo

Story Space is presented in the Manton Studio.

Story Space is supported by Lockton. The Story Space book collection has grown in collaboration with the support of Roundtable Books, New Beacon Books and other independent bookstores/publishers.

Free Activities Every Weekend

  • craft materials are laid out in a workshop space

    Play Studio

    Strike a pose and see yourself and others differently in our space for families

  • Children drawing on digital screens with digital artworks appearing on the walls of the large curved room

    Tate Draw

    See your drawings come to life using our digital sketch pads at Tate Britain

  • Story Space at Tate Britain - a colourful room with books - people reading and making art

    Story Space

    A place for all to read, imagine, play and create

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    Take our Tate Kids quiz

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