4. February 2026
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V&A East Storehouse

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

V&A East Storehouse

free entry
V&A East Storehouse
4.7

Rating

 4.7/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Unique way to explore the Victoria & Albert Collection
  • Free entry
  • Nice (and popular) cafe

When you think about the Victoria & Albert Museum, you likely think about their main outlet at Cromwell Road in Kensington, London. However, as the museum is having the world largest collection of applied and decorative arts and design, their headquarters burst over time and they founded several outlets. Nowadays, there is a V&A museum in Stoke-on-Trent, and Dundee. One of their most interesting and obscure outlets is the V&A East Storehouse in London Olympic Park. During my walk there, I just had to have a deeper look into this very special facility.

 

V&A East Storehouse – Location & Admission

The V&A East Storehouse is located in the East of London Olympic Park. During the 2012 Olympic Games, the building has majorly hosted the international Media & Broadcast Center. It is thus in close distance to several former Olympic sites. The closest public transport stop is The Copper Box South of the place, connected by bus lines 247 and 388. Rail-driven transport is offered by Stratford International (rail, DLR) in the East and Hackney Wick, served by the Mildmay Line of the London Overground. If there is no event, especially not at London Stadium, there is also sufficient parking around. Most parts of London Olympic Park cannot be accessed by car, though.

The storehouse is opening daily from 10:00 to 18:00. On Thursdays and Saturdays, it closes at 22:00. As at all V&A facilities, entrance is free. You need to lock your luggage, including backpacks and similar, before entering the V&A storehouse. Lockers are provided (smaller than onboard hand luggage size), but these may be taken already, especially on weekends and other popular days. In case there is a line at the entrance, it should not take longer than 30 minutes to get in. There are no time slot bookings or similar.

 

V&A East Storehouse – The Visit

From the lobby, you walk up a staircase to the lowest of three levels (there is an elevator as well, so that the storehouse is accessible). The V&A East Storehouse is in fact an active storehouse of the V&A Museum. Thus, the key aim of the place is the safe storage of their archive, not necessarily a museum-alike presentation. However, the storehouse does have a certain structure (obviously) and there are signs and QR codes making it possible to have a deeper experience of the items in stock. Thus, the place is a great mixture of a huge archive of cultural items, industrial charme and a very special spirit. Obviously, not all aisles of the storage are accessible for the public. However, if you are into arts or design, you can easily spend one to two hours in the exhibition.

As you see in the pictures below: the collection in display (which may vary during your visit, obviously) is outstanding. It features a wide range of different cultures, eras, kinds of art and styles. You quickly forget that you are in a storage. I even felt that I really like that style – you quickly commute between very different items. The next aisle may take you to another region, epoch – or both. Nonetheless, there are some key exhibits. I especially loved the ceiling of an Indian temple. If you are into design, you might love the Frankfurt Kitchen. Architecture fans might enjoy the so-called Kaufmann Office by Frank Lloyd Wright.

 

V&A East Storehouse – Services

You can watch the work at the restoration workshop of the museum from above. If you are especially interesting in a certain object or objects, you can Order an Object to have a closer, supervised view of that item. On ground level, the museum is driving a cafe. Also due to the lack of these facilities in the park, it was extremely popular during my visit. Toilets are located on any floor of the V&A East Storehouse.

 

V&A East Storehouse – My View

There is no doubt: the Victoria & Albert Museum has a rich, amazing collection. The V&A East Storehouse is a very unique way to explore it. Even though the “key items” of the museum are located in the opposite part of the city, it is absolutely fun and fascinating strolling and exploring the rich exhibition. The neutral style and presentation of a storehouse thereby leads to a very special way to feel the V&A Museum’s collection. Thus, I absolutely loved that experience.

 

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