East London welcomed a new cultural landmark which operates as an ordinary museum.
Visitors can discover the V&A East Storehouse which serves as an operational museum after its May 2025 opening at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Visitors gain access to 250,000 objects along with 1,000 archives and decades of creative history through its operational museum functions. Every fan of music design and vinyl culture needs to visit this location.
What Is the V&A East Storehouse?
The space presents an unpolished arrangement of creative materials which visitors can walk through. The establishment presents an inverted version of conventional museum displays. The object collection exists on mobile racks along with wooden palettes and open storage drawers. Visitors have the opportunity to discover the collection through active exploration.
Highlights include:
- The National Art Library possesses 350,000 books as part of its collection.
- The institution maintains more than 1000 archives which focus on fashion design, music theatre and multiple other subjects.
- The establishment features open laboratories together with conservation facilities and research areas for curious visitors to use.
- The same hallway contains 17th-century dresses together with synthesizer prototypes and festival posters that remain unreleased.
Music Highlights You Shouldn’t Miss
Although the Storehouse lacks a music museum focus it contains a substantial collection of audio items. The following items stand out among the rest:
The David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performing Arts
The single exhibition worth visiting. The V&A currently houses an extensive Bowie collection of 80,000 items including handwritten notes along with tour equipment and scarce audio recordings and costume designs. The deep dive into storytelling begins with vinyl records and Bowie’s extensive archive offers an extensive experience.
Instruments, Ephemera, and Festival Archives
Visitors can find two of the most notable items: Les Paul guitars and early 20th-century composer sheet music along with complete Glastonbury Festival archival materials which reveal the essence and magnitude of this world-renowned music event.
"The Music Is Black: A British Story" (Coming 2026)
The upcoming exhibition follows a 125-year timeline of Black British musical evolution through ska reggae, jungle, and grime, which emerged primarily on vinyl records. The exhibition promises to deliver an important celebration of cultural heritage and artistic development alongside community values.
And Yes, Vinyl Matters Here
Although vinyl records are not individually listed as primary exhibits at the Storehouse they play a role in the archival stories about artists and musical periods and artistic movements. Vinyl records serve as essential components in both fashion and performance archives by using record sleeves and acetate pressings.
Plan Your Visit
- 2 Parkes Street serves as the address of the facility which is located in London, E20 3AX.
- The museum is open from 10am until 6pm every day except Thursdays and Saturdays when it remains open until 10pm.
- Admission: Free (Yes, really.)
The V&A East Storehouse collection is available online. Plan your visit to explore the full collection.
Bonus: If You’re a Vinyl Lover...
You can revive your favorite records by using A2D2 Stream. A2D2 Stream links turntables and tape decks and CD players to wireless speakers using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections without cables or digital conversions. Just press play.
Blog Cover Image: Jim Osley / Hackney Wick : V&A East Storehouse /