Victoria And Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum is a Grade I listed museum, built between 1860 and 1909, designed by Sir Henry Cole and Captain Fowke. The museum features unique facades that form the heart of the quadrangle, with terra-cotta decorations by Godfrey Sykes and mosaics by Townroe. The west side was constructed from 1861 to 1863, while the north side was built from 1864 to 1868.

On the ground floor, the old Refreshment Rooms, completed by 1867, include the central Refreshment Room decorated by Sykes and Gamble, the Green Dining Room decorated by William Morris, and the Grill Room designed by D J Poynter in 1869 and finished in 1874. There is also a staircase leading to the first floor, designed by F W Moody, featuring a mosaic portrait of Henry Cole created between 1868 and 1876. The first floor houses the old Ceramic Gallery, completed around 1868, which had elaborate decorations including ceramic-faced columns by Minton, although it was dismantled in 1914.

The east side of the museum was completed by the late 1890s and connects to the south side, which is the library side built in 1884. The south courts, constructed of iron in 1862, have been enclosed to create the current museum restaurant and tapestry court, with their decoration completed by 1874. The lunettes at either end of the eastern court were decorated by Lord Leighton in 1880 and 1886. The main entrance hall and staircase, designed by Aston Webb, were built between 1899 and 1901, with Queen Victoria laying the foundation stone, marking her last major ceremony. The south front was completed in 1909, and there is a colonnade connecting the museum with the Royal College of Science, now known as the Henry Cole wing. Much of the museum's interior has recently been restored.