POST TOUR: THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM
TO READ OUR ORIGINAL POST ON THIS TOPIC, CLICK HERE.
Press Opening of Constable Exhibit
After we had our fill of Constable (as if that could ever happen!), we found lots of things to visit around the museum, lots more than we had time for. We started with coffee.
enjoying the outside in the courtyard
The Badminton Bed, 1754
From Badminton House in Gloucestershire, the bed was designed by John Linnell and/or his brother William Linnell, and inspired by Chinese pagodas.The 4th Duke and particularly the Duchess of Beaufort were interested in the new craze for oriental works of art, and commissioned this bed for their home. A Copy of the Linnell bed is now in the house while the original is here in the museum.
For pictures of the interior of Badminton House,
click here. Scroll down to see the replica of the Badminton Bed.
The Chinese Bedroom, from Badminton House
Chinoiserie display
For more on chinoiserie at the V ad A, click here
The paneling and doorways from Norfolk House at the Victoria and Albert Museum; it was the city home of the Dukes of Norfolk.
Ceiling from the Music Room of Norfolk House, 1756
Norfolk House once stood in St. James’s Square
The house was demolished in 1938 after standing on the west side of St. James’s Square since 1722. Most of the furnishings are now at Arundel Castle, home of the Dukes of Norfolk in West Sussex. For more information on the Music Room,
click here.
Wedding Dresses 1775-2014
We were lucky enough to see the Wedding Dress from 1775-2014 Exhibition, at which no pictures were allowed.
Silk satin wedding dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, 1933,
Given and worn by Margaret, Duchess of Argyll. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
To read more about the exhibition, click here.
I never tire of visiting the V and A. It is overflowing with treasures of all kinds and full of excellent exhibitions from small to large. We had an afternoon appointment
at Ben Franklin’s House, so headed to Trafalgar Square.
The blue rooster was the Fourth Plinth sculpture in 2014. Officially it was Hahn/Cock by Katharina Fritsch. It was replaced for the next 18-month stint on the Fourth Plinth by the politicially provocative Gift Horse by German-American artist Hans Haacke.
Photo from The Guardian
The skeleton in bronze has a stock-market ticker around its neck, So is it a symbol of Britain’s lagging economy? Or a more robust interpretation of one of the healthiest economies in Europe, in the view of London Mayor Boris Johnson?
Boots
It is only fair that we acknowledge the heroic efforts of Kristine to overcome her misery. Thus, frequent stops at Boots!
All the warnings are posted!
Next stop just had to be a pub! More on our adventures with Sherlock Holmes in an upcoming post. Stay tuned.
Ahhhh … I've spent many happy hours at the Sherlock Holmes. Fun place … and the rest of your pictures are WONDERFUL. Thank you so much for sharing your travels like this. Such fun!