Most of the rooms in the Sainsbury Wing of London's National Gallery remained open despite industrial action on August 4 by some of its staff opposed to the privatization of security staff. But it was a different story behind the Trafalgar Square entrance of the gallery. The wooden doors beneath the portico remained shut and the majority of rooms to the east and north of the Central Hall were behind temporary barriers.

Rooms containing 17th-century paintings, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer, as well as many works by British artists were shut