London


<p>Think of a museum and chances are images of statues, roped off pictures and ancient objects in glass cases spring to mind. Well the V&amp;A’s new museum, which recently opened at the Olympic Park in Stratford, is rewriting the rules. &nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="983" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-13.25.39-1-1024x983.png" alt="V&amp;A East Storehouse " class="wp-image-12807" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-13.25.39-1-1024x983.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-13.25.39-1-300x288.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-13.25.39-1-768x737.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-13.25.39-1.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sounds-intriguing-what-s-it-like">Sounds intriguing, what&#8217;s it like? </h2>



<p>We can’t lie, the walk there from Stratford Station past high-rise flats and the back of Westfield Shopping Centre is a world away from the streets of South Kensington where the flagship V&amp;A&#8217;s based, but once inside it’s a box of delights.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The interior is seriously wow, as you’d hope from starchitects Diller Scofidio + Renfro (the firm behind the amazing High Line in New York), and feels more like walking into a sci-fi shopping centre than a museum. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="989" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_15-989x1024.jpg" alt="V&amp;A East Storehouse " class="wp-image-12794" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_15-989x1024.jpg 989w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_15-290x300.jpg 290w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_15-768x795.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_15-1484x1536.jpg 1484w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_15.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 989px) 100vw, 989px" /></figure>



<p>At the entrance you&#8217;re separated from the climate-controlled main building containing 250,000-plus objects by a glass wall. To reach them you&#8217;re lowered by a wire while trying to avoid laser beams &#8211; only joking, though the whole place does have <em>Mission Impossible</em>-meets-<em>Matrix</em> vibes as you  pass through double doors, ascend some stairs and step out into a vast central hall, from where you can see what looks like miles and miles of shelving.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="966" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_12-966x1024.jpg" alt="V&amp;A East Storehouse" class="wp-image-12795" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_12-966x1024.jpg 966w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_12-283x300.jpg 283w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_12-768x814.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_12-1449x1536.jpg 1449w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/DSR_VA-East-Storehouse_©HuftonCrow_12.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 966px) 100vw, 966px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ok-but-what-can-i-actually-see-in-there">Ok, but what can I actually see in there? </h2>



<p>A <em>lot</em>. First off, below your feet in the central hall, you can see a relic of the Agra Colonnade from India through transparent floor panels. It dates back to 1637 and is one of six other large-scale displays, which also include a section of the exterior of the demolished Robin Hood Gardens council estate in East London from the 70s, a reconstruction of a Frankfurt kitchen and ornate Torrijos Ceiling.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/View-of-a-section-of-Robin-Hood-Gardens-a-former-residential-estate-in-Poplar-east-London-at-VA-East-Storehouse.-Image-by-David-Parry-PA-Media-Assignments-1024x683.jpg" alt="V&amp;A East Storehouse " class="wp-image-12796" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/View-of-a-section-of-Robin-Hood-Gardens-a-former-residential-estate-in-Poplar-east-London-at-VA-East-Storehouse.-Image-by-David-Parry-PA-Media-Assignments-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/View-of-a-section-of-Robin-Hood-Gardens-a-former-residential-estate-in-Poplar-east-London-at-VA-East-Storehouse.-Image-by-David-Parry-PA-Media-Assignments-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/View-of-a-section-of-Robin-Hood-Gardens-a-former-residential-estate-in-Poplar-east-London-at-VA-East-Storehouse.-Image-by-David-Parry-PA-Media-Assignments-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/View-of-a-section-of-Robin-Hood-Gardens-a-former-residential-estate-in-Poplar-east-London-at-VA-East-Storehouse.-Image-by-David-Parry-PA-Media-Assignments.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A two-storey section of Robin Hood Gardens. Image: David Parry/PA Media Assignments.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Beyond the larger displays are four levels crammed with items on storage pallets, from fashion to ceramics to priceless paintings &#8211; the scale is MASSIVE and almost intimidating. Where to start looking? Visitors are invited to take a self-guided tour, but there are no themes or careful curation with neat side notes here, and not everything is labelled with a QR code for info, which is perhaps why it feels a little chaotic. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Order an Object" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W7WwuEF1PRo?start=2&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>It’s a working museum storehouse, so don’t be surprised to see experts painstakingly restoring an artefact while you’re there. Plus don&#8217;t miss the chance to <a href="https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/order-an-object" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Order An Object</a>. If, like Muddy, you’re used to wandering around a museum looking at items curated by someone else rather than something specific you want to see, this service is mind-blowing. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2025/07/View-of-the-Weston-Collections-Hall-at-VA-East-Storehouse.-Image-by-David-Parry-PA-Media-Assignments-3-1024x683.jpg" alt="V&amp;A East Storehouse " /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: David Parry/PA Media Assignments.</figcaption></figure>



<p>The Order An Object process is also pretty slick (and feels a bit like doing a weekly online shop): browse the collection and add items you like the look of to your &#8216;crate&#8217; (you can view up to five objects during an object encounter), book an appointment (there are 25,000 slots a year available), then visit the museum so you can see the items IRL in the Study Centre. It&#8217;s a unique opportunity to see works of art up close in a way that simply wouldn’t be possible in a ‘normal’ museum. </p>



<p>In addition to the Order an Object service, you can also join an<em>&nbsp;</em>Object Encounter &#8211; free group sessions highlighting different objects in East Storehouse, which run multiple times a day.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-verdict"><strong>VERDICT: </strong></h2>



<p>It&#8217;s slightly chaotic and overwhelming in terms of the sheer amount of stuff to see. if you&#8217;re used to traditional museums which spoon-feed you information, it&#8217;s going to take a while to get used to the warehouse-style layout and presentation. However, the striking design, free entry and (best of all) opportunity to pre-book items and see them up close is enough of a reason to travel East this summer. </p>



<p><strong>Visit <a href="https://www.vam.ac.uk/east/storehouse/visit?srsltid=AfmBOoocrj9jI5fdhHTUJzLLhkZzp6Daa-fKOJ0wZRDZ9D41lzNm_uGH" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">V&amp;A East Storehouse</a> for more info, open Thurs-Sat. </strong></p>



<p><em>Have you been yet? Let us know your views in the comment section. </em></p>


Have you been yet? Inside the new V&A East Storehouse

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