See & Do

V&A East Storehouse and Museum

Free

Attraction Heritage

Hightlight

City Centre
Family Friendly

V&A East Storehouse and Museum are two museums within a stones throw away from each other, two historic attractions that are family friendly with fountains of knowledge. If you are looking for something to do with the family during your trip to London, then these city museums are worth a visit.

V&A East Museum

Designed by Dublin-based architects O’Donnell + Tuomey, the five-storey V&A East Museum offers welcoming spaces to socialise, as well as major exhibitions, festivals, commissions, installations, live performances, pop-ups and evening events.

The main exhibition hall will present major shows celebrating the leading artists, designers and performers of our time. Two collection galleries will explore global making with new acquisitions, commissions and live activations presented alongside collection displays. The galleries will also include stories of east London’s creative and manufacturing heritage, spotlighting local makers past and present alongside a creative studio for both drop-in and pre-booked activities. An installation and events space on the top floor will be the focal point for V&A East’s global partnerships programme, hosting interdisciplinary collaborations, new commissions and events.

What is V&A East Storehouse?

V&A East Storehouse is a unique new museum experience opening up the V&A collection to everyone. Go behind-the-scenes to make new discoveries, explore untold stories and share ideas. A world first in size and scale, V&A East Storehouse immerses you in over half a million works from every creative discipline.

Spanning four levels, and bigger than 30 basketball courts, V&A East Storehouse is a new purpose-built public space designed by world-renowned architects Diller Scofidio+Renfro with support from UK-based architects Austin-Smith:Lord. Taking over a section of the former London 2012 Olympics Media Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park the warehouse-type space is designed to give unprecedented access to the V&A.

As well as providing a purpose-built home for over 250,000 objects, 350,000 library books and 1,000 archives from the V&A’s collections, Storehouse is a new kind of museum experience. It gives you a chance to see behind the scenes of a working museum, explore why and how objects get collected by museums, find out how they are cared for, and uncover the stories they tell about us and our world.

The central Weston Collections Hall stretches across three levels, with over 100 mini curated displays literally ‘hacked’ into the sides and ends of storage racking for you to explore. You can zoom in on east London’s rich heritage of artistry, activism and resistance, explore the V&A’s newest acquisitions by transgender and non-binary artists and get an insight into cutting-edge scientific research from conserving fragile plastics to protecting cultural heritage.

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V&A East Storehouse

4.7733 reviews

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Notry

2 weeks ago

I think you just love the place, simple as that. Yes it's not your traditional white cubes where arts are selected and curated apart to show you, instead it's a warehouse where you can explore with information provided at your own pace. We visited in Thursday evening which opens till 10pm. Not crowded and almost visit every corner. I wish the objects on display get rotated more often too and that more routes will be opened and connected to the public. The architecture is unpretentious on the outside, just a big warehouse, and the interior has been kept true, though with impressive height and volume to display arts and objects. Lots of items you get to touch and read and look at closely. I also wish the app could have AR enabled to introduce objects in a more organised and informed way.

Michael Scott

2 weeks ago

The new V&A Storehouse is amazing. We were lucky enough to get tickets for the David Bowie Exhibition which we enjoyed very much. The storehouse itself is fabulous and you can request to see any object they have (notice is required) The building is spacious and the staff are incredibly friendly and helpful. It's a brilliant resource and truly worth a visit.

Sheetal Parmar

a week ago

Visited on a Sunday morning, it was busy but you could still view everything. It's an incredible, innovative space full of surprises on display. The randomness of the displays are what makes it! It's warm due to climate control measures to protect the pieces on display and you are invited to leave your bags and coats in lockers downstairs. You can keep your phone on you. I feel so lucky to have something so daringly innovative on my doorstep, its an amazing place to spend a couple of hours. Best bit us you get to see into the conservators and technical specialists working areas, so often behind the scenes in most museums and galleries, but here you have a birds eye view. Can't wait to go back!

Elora Gnassi

2 months ago

This museum is truly one of a kind. Instead of traditional galleries, it gives visitors the rare opportunity to see artifacts while they are being restored or carefully stored, waiting to be loaned to exhibitions and museums around the world. Walking through the space feels like stepping behind the scenes of cultural heritage, where history is alive even in its moments of care and transition. It’s a fascinating experience—unique, educational, and unforgettable

Al de Perez

a week ago

Great ! There are a few Bowie items in the general display if you are not able to get into the Bowie Archive. Fascinating if you use your imagination. Historical items from all time periods. Great for design research or pure general knowledge.