Young V&A
A reimagined museum of play, design and imagination for young creatives — housed in a stunning Victorian iron-framed hall in Bethnal Green
A reimagined museum of play, design and imagination for young creatives — housed in a stunning Victorian iron-framed hall in Bethnal Green
Originally opened in 1872 as the Bethnal Green Museum, Young V&A occupies a Grade II* listed iron-framed hall that was dismantled from South Kensington and rebuilt in east London. Its 2023 transformation replaced the former V&A Museum of Childhood with three immersive galleries built around creativity rather than nostalgia.
Across the Play, Imagine and Design galleries, over 2,000 objects from the V&A collection sit alongside hands-on building zones, a performance stage and open design studios. Entry is free and nothing is behind glass that does not need to be.
The building that houses Young V&A has one of the more unusual origin stories in London's museum landscape. Its iron-and-glass framework was first erected in South Kensington in 1856 as a temporary annex for what would become the Victoria and Albert Museum. When permanent galleries replaced it, the structure was dismantled, transported east and reassembled on Cambridge Heath Road, opening as the Bethnal Green Museum on 24 June 1872 in the presence of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
For its first century the museum displayed fine art, local history and natural specimens. In 1974 it was rebranded as the V&A Museum of Childhood, focusing on toys, games and objects related to growing up. By the 2020s a major rethink was underway — the collection was vast but the galleries felt static. A three-year, multi-million-pound renovation led by AOC Architecture and De Matos Ryan stripped the building back to its Victorian bones and reimagined the interior around three themes: Play, Imagine and Design. Young V&A opened in its new form on 1 July 2023.
The three permanent galleries are arranged by age and creative ambition. The Play Gallery on the ground floor is geared towards babies and toddlers, with sensory stations, a construction zone and a marble run. The Arcade section within it explores game design from Victorian board games through to modern video games, with working consoles visitors can try.
Upstairs, the Imagine Gallery centres on storytelling and performance, with a small amphitheatre stage, puppetry workshops and a finger skateboard park. The Design Gallery introduces older children to prototyping, material testing and problem-solving through hands-on challenges. Both upper galleries include open studios where visiting artists run drop-in sessions. Across all three spaces, over 2,000 objects from the V&A's collection are displayed — from 17th-century automata to Aardman animation models — but the emphasis is firmly on doing rather than looking.
Young V&A sits within Bethnal Green Gardens, a small park with benches and a playground that makes a natural extension to a museum visit. The surrounding neighbourhood has changed dramatically in recent years, with Columbia Road Flower Market (Sundays only) a ten-minute walk north and the restaurants and galleries of Shoreditch just beyond. Hackney City Farm is a fifteen-minute walk east along the canal towpath, and the V&A's main South Kensington site is a straightforward Central line journey from Bethnal Green station.
Entry to all three permanent galleries is completely free with no booking required. Some temporary exhibitions or special events may carry a small charge
Weekends and school holidays bring large crowds, especially to the Play Gallery. Weekday mornings between 10am and 11.30am are noticeably quieter and let children explore at their own pace.
The open studios in the Imagine and Design galleries run free drop-in sessions with visiting artists. These change regularly, so check the V&A website before your visit to see what is running.
There is a small cafe inside, but Bethnal Green Gardens directly outside the museum has benches and green space ideal for a picnic. The nearest supermarket is on Bethnal Green Road.
The main entrance has steps, but a fully accessible entrance with level access is located to the left of the building. Bethnal Green Tube station does not have step-free access — use Whitechapel instead.
Columbia Road Flower Market runs every Sunday morning, a ten-minute walk north of the museum. Arrive at the market early, then head to Young V&A when it opens at 10am for a full east London morning.
London Travel Writer · 12+ years covering UK attractions and tourism
Last reviewed: March 9, 2026
