The Victoria and Albert Museum

Museum: The Victoria and Albert Museum

Address: Cromwell Road, South Kensington, SW7 2RL

Telephone: (0)20 7942 2000

Opening Hours: 10:00 – 17:45 daily. 10:00 – 22:00 Fridays. Closed 24^th – 26^th December.

Website: http://www.vam.ac.uk

Pushchair Friendly Routes: Unfortunately, no easy one! Taking the Circle or District Line to South Kensington does cuts down on the number of stairs you have to tackle. However, after the tube you still have to tackle several stairs. Take the underground walkway from South Kensington station if you want to recover from the platform stairs before the next few. Or head up out the station to get all the stairs out the way, and reward yourself with the gorgeous five minute walk above ground. Parking the pushchair in the museum is a further performance, but well worth it – trying to navigate around marble statues is not fun with a buggy!

The V and A is often thought of as a more “grown up” museum, with exhibitions on fashion and design. However,  it is a treasure trove for pre-schoolers, as long as you are willing to be a very active part of their museum experience. It’s not a museum where engagements for pre-schoolers are handed to you, but it can be utterly magical with a bit of thought and imagination between you and your little one! Also, the Natural History Museum and Science Museum are absolutely packed during half term week, so this slightly less obvious choice is the ideal way to escape the stress of the crowds. 

Although the V and A is not as well known for children’s activities as it’s South Kensington neighbours, it does host a range of interesting, themed children’s workshops and days. Most of these are aimed at those five years old and above;  however for the littler visitors they do offer an Agent Animal bag. It is a lovely rucksack, just the right size for your toddler (although inevitably you’ll be the one who carries it), with a selection of activities inside based around the various representations of animals in the museum. It’s a wonderful idea, and perhaps for a more patient, or shyer, toddler it would be ideal. For my little museum companion, Yiannis, the V and A is filled to the brim of fascinating, bizarre and utterly unique objects, all of which must be seen. This means tackling the museum’s corridors in a rather excited fashion, and the time it took me to open the rucksack and try to explain the activities inside was time Yiannis much preferred to spend zipping round, actually seeing things. If you or your little person prefer a bit more structure to the visit, the Agent Animal bag is brilliant; however if you are willing to go a bit rogue and explore the museum together at your own pace, I would recommend that.

I had been a little hesitant to try the V and A with a toddler, and after the abject failure of the Agent Animal bag in Yiannis’ eyes, I was slightly concerned this was going to be a visit not to repeat. However, as we stepped into the beautiful entrance hall, our eyes were caught by the fabulous Rotunda chandelier. Yiannis asked me what it was. I had to admit that I had no idea, although I thought it was very lovely. Yiannis looked at me, and informed me “well, it’s an octopus.”  

This set the tone for the visit, and provided hours of fun, as well as an excellent starting point for discussion about the art. As we discovered the museum, our route lead by Yiannis, I would ask him “which is the saddest statue? Why do you think he is sad?”, “Which key is the biggest?”, “Which picture would you like to live in? Why that one?”. Hearing his thoughts, and unique take, on these masterpieces was fascinating and gave us a great deal to chat about, think about, and laugh about.  This game was further enhanced by the fact very little in the V and A is in display cases, and those which are tend to be in cases where the glass reaches from the floor to the ceiling. This meant there wasn’t anything Yiannis couldn’t see, and the accessibility of the displays heightened his engagement with and enjoyment of the space.

One of the aspects of museum life which the Kids In Museums manifesto emphasises is for staff not to “shhhh” children. I believe in this completely. Museums are huge and daunting, as well as being fantastic. They are places for discovery, and this can only be done when a child feels comfortable and secure in a place; being persistently hissed at is not at all helpful in creating this atmosphere. The staff at the V and A are wonderful at letting children have this freedom to explore, without allowing the sound level to become too mad. They joined in with our game, asking Yiannis questions about his choices, and making him feel, quite rightly, that his take on the art was as valid, important and interesting as the next person’s.

The V and A doesn’t give away it's secrets in it's name, but the building itself, it’s layout, and it’s diverse content is what make this museum a wonderful destination for pre-schoolers. The V and A is Narnia; it is through the looking glass; it is a magical stately mansion for you and your under fives, with huge rooms, marbled floors, high ceilings and glorious art. It is a treasure trove of different objects, from jewellery to armour, so each child can go on a treasure hunt with you, and find brilliant things around their own interests. Yiannis and I spent the afternoon hunting for pirate treasure and were not disappointed in the variety of treasures we found we were sure could have been bought here by pirates. All of this is fascinating for adults; imagine, for example, the corridor of marble statues – then imagine how it must look for someone a third of your height! No wonder Yiannis had too much to see and do without the rucksack! Oh, and there is a huge (thankfully shallow) pond in the courtyard garden in the centre of the museum, if you needed one more reason to take your little one this half term. You’ll chat and interact so much more than at some of the other, more pre-school focused, museums; and I can’t think of many other nicer ways to spend half term!

A few practical notes – the cafe is well stocked but always busy; head there before your little one or you starts to become unreasonable from hunger, as there is nothing worse than being stuck in a queue once hungry/in desperate need of coffee. If the weather is fine, you can eat a small picnic in the courtyard garden. Avoid the toilets nearest the entrance, as these are always horribly busy. The toilets aren’t too sparse but sometimes quite tucked away – it’s best to notice a few as you go so you can make a dash if needs be!

So, with all things considered, Yiannis and I have given The Victoria and Albert Museum 3 dinosaurs! Have a lovely half term!