V&A Museum of Childhood
Encyclopedia
The V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green
in the East End of London
is a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum
(the "V&A"), which is the United Kingdom
's national museum of applied arts.
The museum was founded in 1872 as the Bethnal Green Museum. The iron structure reused a prefabricated building from Albertopolis
which was replaced with some early sections of the modern V&A complex. The exterior of the building was designed by James William Wild in red brick in a Rundbogenstil
(round-arched) style very similar to that in contemporary Germany.
The building was used to display a variety of collections at different times, including the works which can now be seen at the Wallace Collection
. In the 1920s, it began to focus on services for children, and in 1974 the director of the V&A, Sir Roy Strong
, defined it as a specialist museum of childhood.
Of all the branches, the Bethnal Green Museum has the largest collection of childhood objects in the United Kingdom.
The mission of the museum is "To enable everyone, especially the young, to explore and enjoy the designed world, in particular objects made for and made by children." It has extensive collections of toys, childhood equipment and costumes, and stages a programme of temporary exhibitions.
The museum closed in October 2005 for the second phase of extensive renovations, costing £4.7 million. It reopened on 9 December 2006 with changes including a new front entrance, gallery, displays and café.
Inside the museum is a cast iron statue by John Bell
(1811–1896). It came originally from the Great Exhibition
of 1851. "The Eagle slayer" shows a marksman shooting at an eagle which has slain the lamb that lies at his feet.
The museum is a Grade II listed building.
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
in the East End of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
is a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
(the "V&A"), which is the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's national museum of applied arts.
History
Albertopolis
Albertopolis is the area centred on South Kensington, Kensington & Chelsea, London, England, between Cromwell Road and Kensington Gore, which contains a large number of educational and cultural sites, including:*Imperial College London...
which was replaced with some early sections of the modern V&A complex. The exterior of the building was designed by James William Wild in red brick in a Rundbogenstil
Rundbogenstil
Rundbogenstil , one of the nineteenth-century historic revival styles of architecture, is a variety of Romanesque revival popular in the German-speaking lands and the German diaspora....
(round-arched) style very similar to that in contemporary Germany.
The building was used to display a variety of collections at different times, including the works which can now be seen at the Wallace Collection
Wallace Collection
The Wallace Collection is a museum in London, with a world-famous range of fine and decorative arts from the 15th to the 19th centuries with large holdings of French 18th-century paintings, furniture, arms & armour, porcelain and Old Master paintings arranged into 25 galleries.It was established in...
. In the 1920s, it began to focus on services for children, and in 1974 the director of the V&A, Sir Roy Strong
Roy Strong
Sir Roy Colin Strong FRSL is an English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer. He has been director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London...
, defined it as a specialist museum of childhood.
Of all the branches, the Bethnal Green Museum has the largest collection of childhood objects in the United Kingdom.
The mission of the museum is "To enable everyone, especially the young, to explore and enjoy the designed world, in particular objects made for and made by children." It has extensive collections of toys, childhood equipment and costumes, and stages a programme of temporary exhibitions.
The museum closed in October 2005 for the second phase of extensive renovations, costing £4.7 million. It reopened on 9 December 2006 with changes including a new front entrance, gallery, displays and café.
Inside the museum is a cast iron statue by John Bell
John Bell (sculptor)
John Bell 1811 - 1895 was a British sculptor, born in Bell's Row, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. His family home was Hopton Hall, Suffolk.Bell moved from Suffolk to London to attend the Royal Academy Schools in 1829. His "Babes in the Wood" was exhibited at the Royal Academy summer exhibition in 1839...
(1811–1896). It came originally from the Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October...
of 1851. "The Eagle slayer" shows a marksman shooting at an eagle which has slain the lamb that lies at his feet.
The museum is a Grade II listed building.
Transport connections
| Service | Station/Stop | Stop Letter | Lines/Routes served | Distance from V&A Museum of Childhood |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Buses | Bethnal Green Staion | Stop A | 106 London Buses route 106 London Buses route 106 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Stagecoach London.-History:... , 254 London Buses route 254 London Buses route 254 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:... , 309, 388, D3, D6 |
|
| Stop B | 8 London Buses route 8 London Buses route 8 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Stagecoach London.-History:... , 309, D6 |
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| Stop D | 8 London Buses route 8 London Buses route 8 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Stagecoach London.-History:... , 388, D3 |
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| Old Ford Road | Stop G | 106 London Buses route 106 London Buses route 106 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Stagecoach London.-History:... , 254 London Buses route 254 London Buses route 254 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Arriva London.-History:... , 388, D6 |
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| London Underground | Bethnal Green Bethnal Green tube station Bethnal Green tube station is a station on the Central Line of the London Underground in Bethnal Green, East London. It lies between Liverpool Street and Mile End stations, and in Travelcard Zone 2. The station was opened as part of the long planned Central Line eastern extension on 4 December... |
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| National Rail | Cambridge Heath Cambridge Heath railway station Cambridge Heath railway station is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in east London. The station, and all trains serving it, is operated by National Express East Anglia, on the West Anglia route, and it is in Travelcard Zone 2.... |
National Express East Anglia | 0.2 mile walk | |
| Bethnal Green Bethnal Green railway station Bethnal Green railway station is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in east London. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by National Express East Anglia, on the West Anglia route, and it is in Travelcard Zone 2... |
0.5 mile walk | |||