By the mid 19th Century, Britain was the largest economic power in the world and at the forefront of industrial design. The Great Exhibition of 1851 was the first of its kind and was designed to showcase this. It was established by Prince Albert, who was a pioneer in the area of polymath, and Henry Cole, a civil engineer, who had persuaded Albert that an international exhibition in London would educate the public and inspire British designers and manufacturers.
The exhibition opened on May 1st 1851 and ran for six months. It was held at the newly designed Crystal Palace, an enormous cross shaped structure, fifteen football pitches in size, built of glass and steel incorporating trees. The innovative and interesting displays which included over 10,000 objects, came from all over the world and were visited by 40,000 people each day. It was sensational and Britain’s reputation in the world was cemented. At the end of the six months the building was taken down and moved to SE London to become the new Crystal Palace, which sadly later burned down.
The exhibition raised £150.000 which was used to buy 87 acres of land from Hyde Park to the Cromwell Road, Prince Albert’s vision being to fill this area with institutions dedicated to learning, science, music and the arts.
The V&A was founded in 1852 as the Museum of Manufacturers and was housed in Marlborough House alongside the Government School of Art and Design. The collection was moved to the South Kensington site in 1857. As the collections grew so too did the building. A design competition was held and Sir Aston Webb was the winner. Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone in 1899 and the museum was renamed The Victoria and Albert Museum, the finished building being opened in 1909 by Edward VII.
The building itself was also designed to educate and inspire more innovative design. The imposing facade was decorated with beautifully carved images and references to the science and arts. Magnificent ceramics were used extensively in the interior from the floor to the impressive ceilings and these lit the fire of Victorian Design.
The grand entrance in the Cromwell Road has artists, craftsmen, painters and scientists on the outside. There, in the middle, is a big statue of Prince Albert who never saw his idea for the museum fully realised. He invites us in.
In the 1950s and 60s Victorian Architecture became very unpopular and much of the museum was boarded up covering many pieces of art including some beautiful frescoes made by Frederick Lord Leighton. Sadly only a part of the covered area has been restored to the original.
The V & A museum was built by the greatest architects of the day. It currently has 4 million visitors a year. It is one of Prince Albert’s most lasting legacies.
Jackie Bearman