JUST OPENED: V&A East Storehouse with over 500,000 works in a storehouse open to the public

I love this! I wasn't thinking about another visit to London, but this is mighty tempting.

Thanks for posting.

Thanks Mardee! It sounds wonderful. Too bad I filled up my itinerary for the end of the month. There isn’t room to squeeze something else in and days don’t rearrange easily. Next trip for sure! Great reason to return to London.

Thanks for this! Looks soo interesting.

I'm in London at least 2x per year so I will check it out this fall.

Just a few months late for your last visit Mardee when you were next to it in Stratford!

As well as the Storehouse, which is now open there will be a V&A East Museum opening next Spring next door so people might want to plan a visit after that. Although clearly the Storehouse could occupy you for a day anyway.

You might also want to add a visit to Sadler's Wells East, which has recently opened in the same location. This is what's on there in the next few months -https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/?venue-location=sadlers-wells-east

Estimated Prophet, I wholeheartedly agree!

Horseless, that's too bad, but I agree it's worth a new trip!

MA Traveler, lucky you! Please let us know how it is!

Johnew52, you have no idea how chagrined I am that I JUST missed it! I would have dragged my grandkids there, like it or not (although I think they would have liked it). I did hear that about the opening of the new museum there, which sounds really interesting as well. Definitely a reason to spend a whole day in that area!

And that's a good idea about combining it with a trip to Sadlers Wells—I've always wanted to go there, and this would be a great opportunity. Thanks!

Oh my word...this sounds like fun doesn't it?

I've always wanted to get my "hands" on the collection at the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace. Occasionally Lucy Worsley will show some beautiful historic gown from their collection and wow....!

Pam, it does! And this is the first I've heard of the Royal School of Needlework. That sounds pretty cool, too. I will check it out!

This is exciting! Maybe I need to extend our time to stay longer than a week. Hmmm…

80,000 people were headed to the nearby Iron Maiden concert at London Stadium. Tempting? Not so much.

I made my own way this Saturday night instead to the V&A East Storehouse. Wow!! The curated displays are fascinating. I didn't think any object would attract me enough to want to Order an Object. And then there was something! I could totally see myself spending an hour with an object or two, or five!

It's a bit of a hike, but it's open until 10pm on Saturdays, and 1 other evening. And it's an air conditioned escape from this London heat wave.

Maybe squeeze it into your itinerary after the Iron Maiden concert ;-)

ETA: I'm hoping to get back to the tube station before the rockers do!

Hah, so I've walked back through the park alongside the stadium and stopped for a Greek Souvlaki, which just happens to come with a free sample of Iron Maiden music !! Why not?!?!!

sounds like a good holiday to me

Someone should double check my math, but at one second per object it would take 57 days to see them all. ( assuming you can do it 24 hrs per day without stopping)

Your math is good!

The full gazillion objects are not on display, even at the Storehouse. There are racks too high to see, racks too far from the walking paths to see, plenty of racks waiting for their turn to be rotated into a prime viewing location.

And the descriptions aren't like a normal museum exhibit. A single description might explain why 15 objects are displayed as a vignette.

To your point, joe32F, I had to come up with a way to allocate the 2 hours I had until closing. I decided to spend 30 minutes wandering around each of the 3 floors, and 30 minutes with a few key displays (listed on thesigns for each floor) plus a few of my favorite mini displays.

Like any museum, you could spend a few minutes or a few hours. After 2 hours, I was pleased with all I'd seen.

Note that ordering objects didn't seem like something you could do right then and there if any object caught your fancy. You'd have to schedule your Order an Object visit for a2nd visit. A staff member told me you could book a few minutes or many hours with an object.

I went to the Storehouse last week. I adore the V & A in South Kensington and have spent a lot of time there. I was underwhelmed by the Storehouse. I wouldn't recommend it to most visitors for these reasons:

• It's a long haul from central London (probably about 1-1/2 hours in most cases), requiring two forms of transportation. There are many high-priority sights much easier to reach.

• Although the Storehouse is a large facility, the V & A itself is monstrous and has massively more on display than the Storehouse does. I saw very little glass and fiber at the Storehouse. There were somewhat more ceramics, but the quantity was probably less than 1/100 of what can be seen at the V & A in South Kensington. Most of the Storehouse's space seems devoted to furniture--which makes sense, because furniture is large and a museum can only display so many pieces. But there's a lot of furniture displayed at the V & A.

• As was stated in the news release about the Storehouse, not all the stored material is viewable by the public. Some shelves don't have walkways near them, and some walkways were only partially accessible, with temporary barriers in place.

• Few objects at the Storehouse have descriptive labels. Many have barcodes and/or human-readable numbers that I assume can be looked up either online or in inventory books. However, I don't think I'm unusual in preferring labels right beside objects. In a museum, my willingness to walk away from an object to find out what it is, is very limited. For me, viewing objects at the V & A in South Kensington is much, much more pleasant.

• Storage conditions are (very reasonably) set up to prioritize protection of the objects rather than providing the best possible view to visitors. This means large objects are likely to have straps around their middles, which is disappointing when you're looking at a carved chest or large vase.

Yes, this could be an interesting stop for some visitors. Think about it if:

• You really like decorative arts but are allergic to traditional museums.

• You have a special interest in a particular category of decorative arts, have seen everything available at the V & A and want more. (But understand that "more" may not be all that much unless furniture is your thing.)

• You're serious enough about one or more topics that you want to take advantage of the ability to order up to 5 objects for personal examination. Allow at least two weeks for the necessary arrangements; you can search the inventory on line.

• You've spent a lot of time in London and are ready for secondary/tertiary sights.

• You're going to be out near the Storehouse for some reason and figure you might as well make a day of it.

I made my own way this Saturday night instead to the V&A East Storehouse. Wow!! The curated displays are fascinating. I didn't think any object would attract me enough to want to Order an Object. And then there was something! I could totally see myself spending an hour with an object or two, or five!

CW, definitely something I want to try on my next visit to London. I love places like that where you can get up close and personal. And I don't mind a hike out there—sometimes it's nicer to get out of the city center and into the boonies a bit. :-)

You're going to be out near the Storehouse for some reason

Like an Iron Maiden concert!!!

I won't argue with the logic of what acraven has said. I will add that I enjoyed it as much as an opportunity to learn about how a museum chooses, stores and displays objects, as the objects themselves.

Even at 8pm on a Saturday night, I could observe staff working with objects - in videos and also in person. One exhibit explained why the museum decided to collect some women-made ceramics. Another showed how the technical team creates display stands specific to objects. Another demonstrated the complexities of storing objects.

I was as much fascinated by what I learned about the behind the scenes workings of the museum, as by the objects on display.

I am still wondering how they keep dust off it all.

Oh, and the method of display is like a museum playground.

In one room, two lounge chairs are perfectly placed to allow you to lie back and gaze up at the installation of an intricately carved ceiling.

In the center, you walk (if you dare!) across a glass platform to gaze down on the Agra Colonnade and a selection of artistic tiles. Half the "fun" was overcoming the fear to walk across the glass.

You're going to be out near the Storehouse for some reason

Here's a reason...I just read you can tour London Stadium! You could do that and then visit the Storehouse.

Or sit outside the stadium for a free concert of a favorite (or not so favorite, LOL!) band.

There will be a new BBC Music Studios outpost opening in East London next year. I don't know what that entails, but I have the impression there will be displays open to the public.

It doesn’t take that long to get there. Elizabeth line to Stratford and then a 20 minute walk. 40-45 minutes from Paddington.

The swimming pool at the Olympic Park is fantastic. Take your cozzie and a towel and get a few laps in the best pool in London :)

You're going to be out near the Storehouse for some reason

Here's a reason...I just read you can tour London Stadium! You could do that and then visit the Storehouse.

Interesting—I didn't realize it was near London Stadium. That's where the kids and I went to the West Ham game in early April this year. It's a bit of a trek but not too bad.

Thanks so much for the update, CW! I will definitely make time for it on my next visit.