Victoria and Albert Museum

Largely recognized as the world’s greatest museum of art and design, the Victoria and Albert Museum, often nicknamed ‘the V&A’, is one of the capital’s premium museums, taking over a 12.5-acre plot in central London’s South Kensington. Opened back in 1852 and designated in honor of the reigning monarch Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the museum’s vast collection is spread throughout an incredible 145 galleries and spans 5,000 years of creativity.

Containing over six and a half million objects sourced from all around the globe, the free permanent collection is split into four main departments - Asia, Furniture, Textiles and Fashion; Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics & Glass and Word & Image. Most notable are the Medieval & Renaissance galleries where a magnificent series of sculptures, carvings and artworks mark the birth of art as we know it; the Jewelry Gallery, with its glittering collection of jaw dropping jewels and the British Galleries, where a display of homegrown artworks unfold like a timeline of the nation’s creative history. A varied program of temporary exhibitions and events supplement the main exhibits, with a series of ingenious fashion, photography and pop culture displays ensuring the museum stays current.

The Museum, located a few paces from the renowned National History and Science Museums, is housed in a resplendent Victorian mansion and features an 11-meter high blown glass chandelier in its entrance rotunda, a formal garden in its central courtyard and a number of renowned friezes dotted throughout the buildings.