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South Kensington Walking Tour - 4 July
One-day course
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
This waking tour will explore the neighbourhood of the V&A, its buildings and their history, focussing on the architecture of the museum and its kindred institutions, as well as the grand houses and private dwellings of South Kensington. The V&A famously traces its origins to the 1851 Great Exhibition held in Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace. This walk will reveal the transformation of South Kensington from the semi-rural court suburb around Kensington Palace into the grandeur of late Victorian Albertopolis, named in honour of Prince Albert, envisaged as a centre of culture and learning.
V&A study days and walking tours invite you behind the scenes, bringing you face-to-face with the V&A's extraordinary collections.
- Join us on this walking tour that starts off-site to explore the social and cultural history of the South Kensington area between 1851 to today led by V&A Academy Course Director Mike Berlin
- Discover the history of the V&A through its architecture
- Explore the surroundings of the Museum, its neighbouring museums and places of learning and culture, as well as its residential squares and back streets.
- You will receive a walking tour handout to retrace the route and collection highlights
This walking tour is designed to complement the course London: The Global City 1851 to 2020 led by Mike Berlin but you do not need to be enrolled on any online course to join a walking tour.
Please note that this tour is fully accessible and where there are curbs or uneven pavements we will be able to use an alternative route to re-join the main group.
Please note that this tour is fully accessible and where there are curbs or uneven pavements we will be able to use an alternative route to re-join the main group.
V&A Academy Course Director
Mike Berlin
Mike Berlin is a Lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is a specialist in the social history of early modern London and has published extensively on the history of London’s guilds. Before joining Birkbeck, he was a research officer at the Centre for Metropolitan History, Institute of Historical Research.
I loved it all! An excellent walk with so much interesting information Previous walking tour attendee
V&A Academy. A learning environment you can trust.
Being up close with treasured objects from the V&A's collections brings your learning to life. Get precious time with incredible exemplars, as well as with our expert tutors and your fellow learners.
Enrol now
One-day course: South Kensington Walking Tour - 4 July
4 July 2025
£70.00
Need help enrolling? Talk to the admissions team:
+44 (0)20 7942 2000
Open 10.00 - 13.00, Monday to Sunday (closed 24-26 December)
