Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum Henry Cole Wing - Exhibition Road, London, UK
N 51° 29.837 W 000° 10.428
30U E 696168 N 5708914
The Henry Cole wing of the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum is an annexe to the main building and is located on the north east side of Exhibition Road a little to the north of the main building.
Waymark Code: WMN5BK
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 12/29/2014
Views: 2
The building is Grade II* listed with the entry at the English Heritage website telling us:
Museum, formerly college. 1868-73. Built Lt Col H D Y Scott RE. Renaissance style. Ornaments in Minton Majolica. Built in red brick and buff terra-cotta. Four storeys; 10 main bays. Projecting wings either end with crowning pedimented pavilions above cornice, joined by gallery with balustraded arcade of 21 bays and supported by moulded terra-cotta consoles. Ground floor also has arcade on much bigger scale with 7 bays. First and second floors are plainer but the 9 square-headed windows have enriched surrounds with much carving. This building was planned by Captain Fowke but carried out after his death by Scott.
The V&A's website additionally tells us:
Henry Cole was the first director of the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A). He was a driving force behind the Great Exhibition and the formation of many of the institutions still in the area today. The building is a truly monumental structure, with seven central bays flanked by corner pavilions and an open loggia on the top storey. It was occupied first by the School of Naval Architects, then by the Science School and finally by Imperial College. In 1978 the building was annexed by the V&A. In style it is a striking redbrick and terracotta building with an amalgam of playful Early Renaissance details, including putti in roundels and figures and foliage on the columns. The decorative techniques include moulded terracotta, mosaic and Minton majolica. Many of these were experimental, though they were based on historical precedent.