Victoria and Albert Museum

South Kensington, London, one of the greatest museums of fine and applied art in the world. The collections are mainly of post-classical periods. The museum originated in the Museum of Ornamental Art at Marlborough House in 1852, and became in 1857 the South Kensington Museum, combining collections of science and art. The original aims of the art sections of the Museum were both educational and academic. The buildings were continually being enlarged in the 19th century, and by 1909 Aston Webb's final extension was completed. The whole Museum was renamed the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1899, and in 1909 this name was restricted to art collections only, which became separated from the Science Museum.

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