The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, was created in 1852. It is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, with a permanent collection of 4.5 million artifacts. The V&A’s collection spans 5,000 years of art, from antiquity to the present day, and is housed in 145 galleries. Textiles, costumes, glass and ceramics from Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa are displayed at the gallery.
The museum also has the world’s largest collection of post-classical sculpture, as well as the largest collection of Italian Renaissance art outside of Italy. The V&A is easily accessible from hotels due to its proximity to South Kensington tube station, which serves the Circle, District and Piccadilly lines. Head north from the station through Old Brompton Road and Cromwell Place, turn right into Thurloe Place. Continue on Exhibition Road until you reach the museum on your left.
At the V&A, visitors can sample the museum’s jewelery collection, which is one of the world’s best and most extensive, with over 3,000 pieces of jewellery. The glass collection is Europe’s largest, and the metalworking area has around 45,000 ornaments, silver and jewelery from the Bronze Age to the present day. This includes the National Collection of English Silver, as well as a host of other exciting items.
Location: Cromwell Road, London, England SW7 2RL
Website: vam.ac.uk
