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Designing the V&A
Discover the fascinating history of the V&A's buildings, from the 1850s until the present day
FreePlan a visitThrough original drawings and photographs, this display highlights the artists, designers and engineers who created the V&A, charting the building's transformation from the 1850s to today, culminating with the opening of the Exhibition Road Quarter.
Display Highlights
The Green Dining Room, opened in 1868. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The South Court reused as an RAF canteen during the Second World War, about 1942. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Sackler Courtyard, Victoria and Albert Museum, Amanda Levete Architects (AL_A), 2017
Design for an illustrated alphabet tile, Godfrey Sykes, 1864, England. Museum no. 729:1-28. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Design for a tower and museum extension on Exhibition Road after Henry Cole, 1868. Museum no. E.2034-1921. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Design for the decoration of the lecture theatre front, Godfrey Sykes and Francis Fowke, about 1864 – 65. Museum no. D.930-1899. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Henry Cole, Francis Fowke, Godfrey Sykes and John Liddell in front of the residences range, photograph possibly by Charles Thurston Thompson, about 1863. Museum no. E.1086-1989. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Designs for the decoration of the Oriental Courts (detail), Owen Jones, 1863 – 64. Museum nos. D.120-1905 & D.121-1905. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
View of the South Court, probably Isabel Agnes Cowper, about 1886. Museum no. E.1103-1989. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Sackler Centre for arts education at the V&A, designed by Softroom, 2008. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Design for 'Fruit' wallpaper, William Morris and Philip Webb, 1862, England. Museum no. E.299-2009. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Victoria and Albert Museum with scaffolding, Louis Weirter, 1906, England. Museum no. D.655-1906. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Featured
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
History of the Cast Courts
Discover the fascinating story behind a unique collection housed in one of the most popular spaces of the Museum
A history of the V&A on Exhibition Road
From humble industrial beginnings to a stunning contemporary space, the V&A Exhibition Road Quarter is the epitome of "refinement and progress"
The world's first museum café
The V&A Refreshment Rooms have been hailed throughout the years for their wealth and breadth of ornamentation, reflecting a range of contemporary design theory
The South Court and Leighton Frescos
Tucked away in the V&A are two surviving masterpieces of Victorian mural painting
A grand entrance on Cromwell Road
The huge sculpted Museum façade along Cromwell Road was a competition-winning design by young architect Aston Webb