If you’ve already knocked out all of London’s must-see museums, there will soon be a reason to revisit the V&A Museum of Childhood. On May 11, the museum will close for a serious revamp, which will be aimed at making the space more child-friendly. “The new museum will be shaped in entirety around the way in which children aged 0-14 explore, play, and learn,” the museum’s website explains.
Photo: V&A Museum of Childhood
V&A Museum of Childhood in London Is Closing to Undergo Massive Revamp
Photo: V&A Museum of Childhood
The V&A Museum of Childhood is currently home to 26,000 objects dating back from 1600 to the present day. There are over 100 dolls houses, board games, vehicles, nursery equipment, toys, and clothes, as well as painting, drawings, and photographs all focusing on the world of children.
The museum’s transformation will include displaying objects at toddlers’ heights and creating more hands-on experiences to foster creativity.
Photo: V&A Museum of Childhood
The museum will revolve around three new galleries. The first, called Play, will feature games that encourage children to play freely and get creative. Imagine, the second gallery, will focus on storytelling and screenwriting with a Hollywood theme that includes popular movie characters and costumes, and the Design gallery will encourage outside-the-box thinking with an artist-in-residence program. The Stage, a theater with a 125-person capacity, will allow children to perform their own shows.
Photo: V&A Museum of Childhood
Before it closes on May 11, a three-day festival will be held on May 8-10, so people can bid the museum farewell. It’s slated to reopen in spring/summer 2023, though an exact date hasn’t yet been specified. 