Architecture at the V&A
Discover the extensive collections of the V&A
Architecture
Plan a visitAs the home of the national collection of architecture, the V&A holds monumental plaster casts, large-scale architectural fragments and entire historic rooms, as well as models, drawings and sketchbooks by major British and international architects from the 15th century to the present day.
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Architectural drawings and fragments of buildings were collected by the Museum from its earliest days, but it was only in 2014 that a department responsible for architecture was established. In the Architecture Gallery, co-curated with the Royal Institute of British Architects as part of the V&A+RIBA Architecture Partnership, you can explore the history of architecture, styles, materials and building types. Next door, in the Architecture Display Gallery, you can visit changing displays of historic and contemporary drawings chosen from the rich collections of the V&A and the RIBA on a variety of topical themes.
Collection Highlights
Adelphi ceiling, designed by Robert Adam, about 1771, London. Museum no. W.43:1 to 5-1936. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Wallpaper and tile design for Houses of Parliament, designed by A. W. Pugin, made 1908, London. Museum no. D.741-1908. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Apotheosis of Henry VIII, probably designed and drawn by Robert Pyte, about 1546, London. Museum no. 3337. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Print from 'Diverse maniere d'adornare i cammini…’ depicting a design for an Egyptian chimneypiece by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, published 1769, Rome. Museum no. E.4944-1908. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Architectural drawing for the north or entrance front of Castle Howard by Sir John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor, about 1699, England. Museum no. E.424-1951. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Julie Tile for A House for Essex, designed by Grayson Perry and FAT Architecture, 2015. Museum no. CD.20-2015. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Architectural print, Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur: ochre towers with blue sky, César Pelli, 1998. Museum no. CD.93-2016. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Contract drawings for the Metropolitan Board of Works depicting the Thames Embankment - Middlesex side, Joseph Bazalgette, 1868, Britain. Museum no. 23187. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Architectural model of Robin Hood Gardens, Poplar, London, by Alison and Peter Smithson, 1970. Museum no. CD.12-2018. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Sir Paul Pindar's House front, about 1600, London. Museum no. 846 to M-1890. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Architectural model of the Albert Hall, Francis Fowke, made 1864, England. Museum no. A.10-1973. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Features
A curious trail of architecture at the V&A in 10 objects
La Biennale di Venezia 2019
The V&A’s annual special project at the Pavilion of Applied Arts
Building the Museum
The V&A's buildings are works of art in themselves. Each represents a chapter of the V&A's story and a moment in British design history
Robin Hood Gardens
Discover the history of Robin Hood Gardens – a defining example of Brutalist architecture and social housing, as a three-storey section is acquired by the V&A
Architects and their sketchbooks
Architects sketchbooks provide freedom. They are a personal record of thoughts, observations, problems and memories
Recreating Palmyra's Arch of Triumph using photogrammetry
Skateboarding and the city: a global phenomenon
Drop in on the history of skateboarding
