Overview Of Victoria & Albert Museum London
Highlights Of Victoria And Albert Museum London
- The Victoria and Albert Museum houses one of the most extensive collections in the world, with about 2.3 million objects on display.
- The collection at the Victoria museum spans over a period of 5000 years and is one of the finest examples of human craftsmanship.
- The objects of interest in the Victoria Museum include architecture, art, paintings, textiles, ceramics, jewellery and many more.
- Some of the popular collections in the museum include the Cybele by Rodin, Evening coat by Elsa Schiaparelli and Jean Cocteau, Betel nut container and so on.
- The Victoria Museum hosts several exhibitions and shows representing art from all over the world.
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History Of Victoria And Albert Museum London
Initially known as the Museum of Manufactures, the Victoria and Albert Museum was built in 1857. Sir Henry Cole was the first director of the Victoria museum and he termed it “a refuge for destitute collections”, followed by which, Sir Roy Strong, another director, during the 1900s termed it “an extremely capacious handbag”. A significant part of the museum then, was used as the National Gallery, having a separate entrance for visitors. The first collections at the Victoria & Albert museum are from South-east Asia, with collections from the East India Company’s Indian museum being transferred to this museum. During the course of its history, it was called by several different names including the South Kensington Museum, until in 1899, it was renamed to Victoria and Albert Museum. Designed by Aston Webb, the Queen of England had laid the foundation stones for the new buildings of this museum.
Home to decorative arts then, the museum got its popularity from the Great Exhibition of 1851, which led to developing interest amongst the public. Over the past century, the Victoria Museum has gone through several changes, both architecturally and collection-wise, updating itself to cater to the curious minds of travellers from all over the world. The museum also rebuilt the already existing exhibition space, specially the cast courts, which were built in the year 1873.
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Collections Inside Victoria & Albert Museum
A leading centre to learn about the life of Beatrix Potter, the Victoria & Albert Museum is home to the largest collection of her drawings, manuscripts and photographs in the entire world. Apart from her works in Tales, nursery rhymes and fairy tales, the collection takes you through some finest archival material as well. Some of the highlights include the Drawing of Water Lilies by Beatrix Potter in 1906, Duchess Walking Down a Leafy Path from 1902, the Lady Mouse Curtseys from 1903, Lady Rabbit and Gentleman Rabbit Passing on the Street from 1890, and so on.
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An exclusive series of fashion events at the Victoria & Albert museum, the Fashion in Motion is home to some exciting fashion exploration. With experiences such as modelling and catwalk, this collection brings forward some of the greatest designers around the world. You can indulge in observing various fashion art forms including some of the famous highlights such as Millinery in Motion from 2009, Gareth Pugh from 2017, Giles Deacon from 2009, Oswald Boateng from 2005, Christian Lacroix from 2006 and many more. Fashion in Motion is one the best collections to explore at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
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Showcasing the extensive history of the Victoria & Albert museum, right from the laying of foundation by Queen Victoria in 1899, to its first construction which was done in 1852, the V & A story carries 5000 years of history. Some of the best collections to visit in the V & A story are the V & A refreshment rooms, the V&A Leighton corridor, the V&A Ceramic staircase and the V&A Exhibition Road Quarter. Other popular collections include the Cast courts, Daylit Gallery, John Madejski Garden and the Ceramics Galleries.
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Built by fusing glass to metals, the Enamels at the Victoria & Albert Museum are a representation of the unique enamel making techniques. This art is mostly practised around Europe, Britain and in Scandinavian countries, and the products usually made out of this art include portrait miniatures, gold boxes and jewellery. Some of the famous collections include Triptych by Master of Louis XII Triptych from 1498, the Habsburg-Rosenberg Cup from 1665, Portrait of Hortense Mancini by Jean Petitor Sr from 1675.
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Know Before You Visit The Victoria & Albert Museum
Location:Located in South Kensington, the Victoria and Albert Museum is a part of the Museum Quarter in London. The museum is located at a close proximity to the Natural History museum and the science museum.
Address: Cromwell Road, London
Timings:The Victoria & Albert Museum is open from Monday to Sunday between 10 am in the morning, until 5:45 pm in the evening. On friday, the museum is open from 10 am in the morning until 10 pm in the night.
Best time to Visit:The best time to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum is during the early hours on weekends since the evenings are usually thronged with tourists. Otherwise, you can visit the museum during the afternoon hours or in the evening on weekdays.
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By Tube: The nearest station to the Victoria & Albert Museum is South Kensington station which is accessible via Circle, District and Piccadilly lines. This station is at a walking distance of five minutes from the museum. Another station is the Gloucester Road, just a ten minutes walk away from the Victoria Museum.
By Bus: If commuting by bus, look out for bus number 205 to Baker Street Station, or bus number 113 to the Apex Corner or the number 292 to the Cromwell Road. The closest stop is at Cromwell Road, from where the Victoria museum is a 31 minute walk away.
By Train: If commuting by train, you can stop at the Victoria Station which is a 35 minute walk away from the Victoria & Albert Museum.
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Victoria Museum FAQs
What is the best time to visit the Victoria & Albert Museum?
Since the Victoria & Albert Museum remains immensely crowded during the weekends, the best time to visit the museum on a Saturday and a Sunday would be during the morning hours. However, during the weekdays, you can visit the museum during afternoon or evening hours and explore around in comparatively lesser crowds.
How many collections are there inside the Victoria & Albert museum?
The Victoria & Albert Museum houses a variety of collections ranging from sculptures, paintings, artworks, ceramics, decorative items and so on, increasing the number of objects to the entire collection to 2.3 million. The number of books in the collection is about 1,500,000 while there are 17,500 sculptures and more than 38,000 textile pieces.
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Is entry to the Victoria & Albert Museum free?
Yes, the entry to the Victoria & Albert Museum is free of cost and for general admission, no booking is required. However, certain exhibitions and shows cost a certain amount, and can be accessed accordingly in the museum.
What is special about the Victoria & Albert Museum?
With artefacts and objects of over 5000 years of history, the collection at Victoria & Albert Museum is not only vast, but also exquisite, rare and extravagant in nature. Right from textile to tapestries to zones such as the Cast Courts and experiences such as Beatrix potter, the Victoria Museum is known for the 2.3 million vast collection it offers.
How long should one spend inside the Victoria & Albert museum?
The entire activity duration of visiting the Victoria museum is about one and half hours to two hours approximately. The amount of time to be spent in the museum also depends on the type of exhibitions which interest you.
Is there wheelchair accessibility inside Victoria & Albert Museum?
Yes, the Victoria and Albert Museum is wheelchair accessible with a wheelchair accessible door between the revolving doors at the Cromwell Road entrance, and an automatic door at the entrance of the museum.