V & A

The Victoria and Albert Museum, beginning with the Great Exhibition of 1851, is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts. Officially opening in 1857, it was Queen Victoria that lead the ceremony. The architecture of the museum varies from room to room, each representing the period in which it was built. Starting with Victorian era during its initial creation, it has evolved with the world around it, incorporating more modern architecture. In the past decade a garden has been added to attract more viewers.

Arriving in the museum was a bit odd as we entered from the tunnel. Coming in that way, I didn’t really know what to expect of the place. The first thing I saw walking in was an exhibition on the brief history of underwear which certainly caught my attention! Getting further into the museum I noticed that everything was categorized by culture. It was so much easier to navigate the museum with such a good layout. Of the things outside the library, it was a statue that caught my eye. It was in the memory of Emily Georgiana and on each side of the marble statue was a beautiful epitaph.

To begin with, we were seated around two large table with items by each chair. Before us lay examples from the collection ranging from art books to folios. Each item was described in great detail, explaining its significance and part within the collection.

Our tour guide, Sally, was a treat! She was happy to show us what made up the collection and how extensive it was. She showed us through the reading rooms, explaining the architecture of each one and even elaborating on the unique spiral staircase. (which was no longer in use for safety purposes)

Inside the library I was automatically happy to see that things were very much symmetrical. The reading rooms had two levels with beautiful bookcases. The back archives were the usual plain metal shelves. The sheer number of sales catalogues was astounding, as they date all the way back to 18^th century. Material was organized in the usual way by size, with larger volumes on the bottom shelves.

What really fascinated me was that over 60% of the collection wasn’t in English. Over half of the collection came from foreign countries, really lending to the library’s vastness. I firmly believe in cultures coming together and including each other in everything, so this fact made me really happy.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/n/national-art-library/