The Victoria and Albert Museum is the largest museum of decorative arts and design in the world. It holds incredible collections (some the largest in the world) of ceramics, glass, jewellery, textiles and costumes as well as collections of sculptures, prints, drawings and photo's. Covering an expanse of about twelve and a half acres (0.05 km2) the museum has 145 galleries covering art from 5,000 years ago to the present day.
The V & A Museum was initially called "The Museum of Manufactures" and first opened in 1852 containing items associated with both the arts and sciences. Within a couple of months the museum moved premises to Somerset House and purchases from The Great Exhibition of 1851 helped create a reasonable collection. In 1854 the museum moved premises once again (to it's present site) and was renamed The South Kensington Museum. The museum was officially opened in 1857, by Queen Victoria, and featured refreshment rooms, the first to appear in a museum. In 1899 the name was changed, for a final time, to the Victoria & Albert Museum, during the laying of the foundation stone of a new building.
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In 1909 the new building was complete and it was officially opened by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra but the changes were not fully complete until 1914 when work commenced on a new building to contain the science collections. With the science exhibits now in the Science Museum the V & A focused on arts collections. Minor changes continued on the museum right up to the present day. Some galleries have, over the decades, been totally redesigned while others have had their decoration recreated. In 2005 the central garden was redesigned and named the John Madejski Garden but other proposed changes, such as a planned £80 million extension, were abandoned.
With over six and a half million objects it will not be surprising to learn that only a very small percentage are ever on display at one time. The museum is split into 4 Collections departments which are further split into 16 display areas. Curators can provide access to some of the items not on display upon request by the public or scholars. The V & A Museum has an education department and a research and conservation department, both providing a most valuable service.
Some of the finest exhibitions of art in London have been held in the Victoria & Albert Museum and it is well worth keeping an eye on those planned for the future. Each year sees about twelve major exhibitions so there is bound to be something worth seeing whenever you visit London.
Contact
Victoria & Albert Museum
Cromwell Road,
South Kensington,
London,
SW7 2RL
Tel: 020 7941 2000
Getting To The Victoria and Albert Museum
The most convenient way to get to the V & A Museum is by catching the Tube (London Underground) to South Kensington Tube Station which is only a five minute walk from the museum. Getting there by car is possible and there is a car park about a five minute walk away but be aware that there is a congestion charge in place and the traffic can be horrendous.
| Nearest Tube Stations | Nearest Railway Stations | Nearest Car Parks |
| South Kensingtom (5 minutes away) | West Brompton (28 minutes away) | Union Car Parks (5 minutes away) |
| Gloucester Road (11 minutes away) | Victoria (29 minutes away) | Q-Park Kingston House (7 minutes away) |
Opening Times
Selected galleries open at 10am and close at 5.45pm but stay open until 20pm on Fridays.
Hotels Near The Victoria & Albert Museum
The Rembrandt - A Sarova Hotel
This 4 star hotel is only a very short distance from the Museum. Read more...
Egerton Hotel
A 5 star Red Carnation hotel about a quarter of a mile from the V & A Museum. Read More...
Grosvenor Kensington Hotel
A popular 3 star hotel about a quarter of a mile from the Victoria and Albert Museum. Read more..
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Useful Victoria & Albert Museum Links
The V & A Museum
The official web site of the V & A, highly informative and keeps you up to date with present and forthcoming exhibitions. If you are planning to visit the museum then it is simply a must that you spend some time browsing this site well in advance of your trip.
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