V&A Museum guide, the highlights, fashion collection, café, admission, opening times and tips for visiting the world's greatest museum of art and design.
Victoria and Albert Museum London: A Complete Visitor's Guide
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in South Kensington is the world's largest museum of art and design, a collection of 2.27 million objects spanning 5, 000 years of human creativity, from ancient ceramics to contemporary fashion design. Founded in 1852 in the aftermath of the Great Exhibition, it occupies an extraordinary Victorian building that is itself a work of decorative art. Entry to the permanent collection is free.
The Building
The V&A building on Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road is a complex of Victorian and Edwardian structures extended and modified over 150 years. The main entrance on Cromwell Road (the terracotta facade with the crown spire) is the most photographed. The interior courtyards, decorated with mosaic, tile and terracotta, are among the most beautiful interior spaces in any London museum.
The John Madejski Garden (the central courtyard) is a good place to pause, a formal garden with a shallow reflecting pool, accessible from the ground floor.
Essential Collections
Cast Courts (Rooms 46a, 46b): Two of the most extraordinary rooms in any museum in the world, enormous gallery spaces filled with full-scale plaster casts of the greatest sculptural works of the Renaissance and medieval Europe. Michelangelo's David (cast from the original), Trajan's Column (split in half to fit), the Portico della Gloria. The casts were made in the 19th century when travel was difficult; they remain an astonishing resource.
Fashion Collection (Room 40): A chronological survey of fashion from the 1750s to the present, with rotating displays from the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. One of the best fashion collections in the world.
The Raphael Cartoons (Room 48a): Seven large-scale watercolour cartoons by Raphael (1515-16) commissioned by Pope Leo X as designs for tapestries for the Sistine Chapel. On permanent loan from the Royal Collection; among the most significant works of the Italian Renaissance in Britain.
Islamic Galley (Rooms 42, 43): One of the great collections of Islamic art, carpets, ceramics, metalwork, glass and textiles from across the Islamic world, from the 8th century to the 19th.
Jewellery Gallery (Rooms 91-93): An extensive collection of jewellery from ancient times to the present, including some of the most technically accomplished pieces in the V&A's collection.
Photography Collection: The V&A holds one of the world's largest photography collections, including work by early pioneers of the medium.
Temporary Exhibitions
The V&A's temporary exhibitions are consistently among the best in London. Recent major exhibitions have covered Dior, David Bowie, Alexander McQueen and Alice in Wonderland. Check va.ac.uk for the current programme.
The Café
The V&A café in the original Refreshment Rooms (Rooms 13-15, ground floor) is a notable destination in its own right, three Victorian rooms including the original ceramic-tiled Gamble Room (1868), the Green Dining Room (William Morris, 1866) and the Poynter Room. The rooms are Grade I listed and the café food is above the museum average.
Practical Notes
Admission: Free for the permanent collection. Temporary exhibitions charge.
Opening times: Daily 10am-5:45pm; Fridays until 10pm.
Getting there: South Kensington station (District, Circle and Piccadilly lines) is 5 minutes walk, adjacent to the Natural History Museum and Science Museum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the V&A Museum free?
Yes, the permanent collection is free. Temporary exhibitions charge for admission.
What is the V&A Museum famous for?
The world's greatest museum of art and design. Particularly notable for the fashion collection, the Cast Courts (full-scale plaster casts of Renaissance masterworks), the Raphael Cartoons, and the Islamic art galleries.
How long do you need at the V&A?
The collection is too large to see in one visit. A highlights visit takes 3-4 hours. The Cast Courts and Fashion Gallery alone justify an afternoon.
