HELLO everyone and welcome back to Monday Miles, our weekly travel series where we explore some of the world’s most fascinating places from iconic history to cultural treasures, one place at a time. I am Dillon Pillay, journalist for the Southlands Sun and today we are in London’s South Kensington, paying a visit to one of the world’s best-known and varied institutions, the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum.

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Opened in 1852, the V&A is more than just a museum but an ever-changing collection of human imagination, history and design. From artifacts of royalty to strange oddities, each hallway speak its own unique and special story. The museum is rich in history as well as in facts.

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In this week’s edition of MondayMiles, join Dillon Pillay, journalist for the Southlands Sun as he takes us on a tour of the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London’s South Kensington. #museum london #travel #victoriaalbertmusseum #southlandssun

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Fascinating facts about the V&A Museum:

• Named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, great supporters of education and the arts.
• Containing over 2.8 million objects spanning 5 000 years of human creativity.
• The museum’s first director, Sir Henry Cole, also created the world’s first Christmas card in 1843.
• Shown here is the oldest surviving wedding suit (1673), immaculately preserved and still fashionable.
• The museum is home to the oldest known photograph of London (1839).
• Home to the world’s oldest dated carpet, the Ardabil Carpet, which was created in 1539–1540.
• Two favourite canine friends, Jim and Tycho, are burried in the garden of the museum.
• The Cast Courts house an enormous 35.6m plaster copy of Trajan’s Column, split into two to fit.
• World War II period had the museum endure multiple bombings, including one that hit the Cast Courts.
• In 1909, a burglar swiped diamonds hidden in his pants and is considered one of the most infamous museum thefts.
• One of the first places to open in the evenings in the 19th century, lit by gas lamps for working-class individuals to view after dark.
• The V&A contains some of the world’s greatest fashion collections, including Dior, Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood’s haute couture.
• Home to the Raphael Cartoons, a collection of seven massive drawings by Raphael for Sistine Chapel tapestries.
• With more than 1 million visitors annually, it is one of London’s most cherished cultural icons.

This museum specifically was whacky and wild in the best way possible. It features everything a true art lover would like to see, from fashion to art to media. I thoroughly enjoyed viewing the gallery as someone who enjoys the culture.

The V&A is a living archive of history, art and innovation come together under one roof. That is all we have for this week. In the next edition we will continue to explore the galleries of London.

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