Past event
Designing the V&A
The fascinating history of the V&A's buildings, from the 1850s until the present day
Through original drawings and photographs, this display highlighted 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.
This display is now closed at V&A South Kensington
Display highlights
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The Green Dining Room, opened in 1868. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
South Court as RAF canteen. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Sackler courtyard. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
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, South Kensington Museum, 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
Past events
Features
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
