Victoria and Albert Museum (London, United Kingdom)
The Victoria and Albert Museum is the UK’s top museum dedicated to Art and Design and is among the world’s top museums in this field. It is located in South Kensington, close to both the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum. The museum was founded at different premises in 1852 before moving to the current site in 1857 to a building steeped in the best excesses of Victorian design. The museum contains items up to 3000 years old which have been gathered from all over the world - these include rugs, clothing, ceramics, sculptures, metalwork, paintings, furniture and even entire rooms brought to the museum for preservation. Entrance to the museum is currently free although donations are much appreciated and encouraged. The V&A holds special exhibitions throughout the year for which an entry fee (typically around £10) applies. In recent years these exhibitions have included ones on Surrealism, Art Deco, The Arts and Crafts Movement and Art Nouveau. Tickets for these special exhibitions can be bought in advance from the museum website. Opening hours are from 10 am to 5.45 pm daily with late opening until 10 pm on Fridays. The museum has a cloakroom for storing coats and luggage and several cafes and restaurants as well as an outdoor cafe in the central outdoor atrium. The nearest underground station is South Kensington and the station is linked to the museum by a covered walkway/tunnel.
Contact
Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL, Telephone: +44(20)79422000 | Official site