Young V&A facts for kids

Young V&A

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Established	1872; 153 years ago (1872)
Location	Bethnal Green London, E2 United Kingdom
Visitors	386,944 (2019)
Public transit access	Bethnal Green Cambridge Heath
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated	27 September 1973
Reference no.	1357777
Area	1.5 acres (6,100 m2), 145 galleries

The Young V&A, once known as the V&A Museum of Childhood, is a special part of the Victoria and Albert Museum (the "V&A"). It is the United Kingdom's national museum for applied arts. Located in Bethnal Green in the East End of London, this museum focuses on amazing objects made by and for children. It's a place where you can explore the world of design through the eyes of young people.

A Look at the Young V&A's History

The official opening of the Bethnal Green Museum by the Prince of Wales in 1872.

The museum first opened in 1872. It was called the Bethnal Green Museum back then. The building itself was quite interesting. It was made from parts of an old building from Albertopolis. This was a special area in London where the V&A museum complex later grew.

The outside of the museum building was designed by James William Wild. He used red bricks and a style called Rundbogenstil. This style has round arches and was popular in Germany at the time.

What Was on Display?

Over the years, the museum showed many different collections. In the 1800s, you could find things like food and animal products there. There were also art pieces, some of which are now in the Wallace Collection.

After World War I, the museum changed to focus more on art. A small section for children was added, and it quickly grew bigger. In 1974, the V&A's director, Sir Roy Strong, decided it would be a special museum just for childhood.

The Museum's Mission

Today, the Young V&A has the largest collection of childhood objects in the United Kingdom. Its main goal is to help everyone, especially young people, discover and enjoy the world of design. This includes things made for children and things made by children.

The museum has huge collections of toys, equipment used by children, and costumes. It also hosts many temporary exhibitions that change over time.

Renovations and Changes

The museum closed in October 2005 for a big renovation project. This cost £4.7 million. It reopened in December 2006, looking fresh and new.

In 2019, another major change began. More than 30,000 objects from the museum's displays and storage were carefully packed up. These items were moved to a temporary storage area. They will eventually join the V&A East Museum at Stratford Waterfront.

A famous cast iron statue called The Eagle Slayer used to be inside the museum. It was made by John Bell and had been there since 1927. This statue originally came from the Great Exhibition of 1851. It shows a marksman shooting an eagle that has killed a lamb. This statue has now moved to the entrance of the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron. It was cast at the Coalbrookdale Foundry.

The museum building is a Grade II* listed building. This means it is a very important historical building. The museum reopened its doors to visitors on 1 July 2023.

Getting to the Young V&A

You can reach the Young V&A using different types of public transport in London.

Service	Station/Stop	Lines/Routes served	Distance from V&A Museum of Childhood
London Buses	Bethnal Green Station	106, 254, 309, 388, D3, D6
London Underground	Bethnal Green
London Overground	Cambridge Heath	London Overground	400 metres walk

See also

• Anthony Burton (former director)