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London: Posh or Common Part II (6/25-6/27/25)

After our lovely buffet breakfast on Thursday, Bob and I walked about 10 minutes up Cromwell Road to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see what we could see before we needed to get ready to go to the musical “Six,” for which we had tickets for the 4:00 pm show.

One view of the Natural History Museum,
which is right next to the Victoria and Albert Museum
Another view of the very attractive Natural History Museum

Both the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum are free to enter, but the Natural History Museum encourages you to book a timed ticket, and they didn’t have any available for this morning.

The V&A, per their website, is a family of museums dedicated to sharing a 5,000 year old story of creativity through collections, exhibitions, events, etc. It began as the Museum of Manufacturers in 1852. Bob and I had enjoyed our last visit to the V&A in Kensington and decided to go back. We arrived about 10:15 this morning and took part in the free 10:30 Highlights of the V&A tour.

The entrance to the museum
The baroque statue of Neptune and Triton by Bernini
Altarpiece of St. George, about 1420-25, made in Valencia, Spain (where Beth studied for a semester in college).
A plinth of George Frideric Handel for Vauxhall Hall by Roubiliac
The music room from the Norfolk House, 1937
The John Madejski Garden
The very lovely Garden Cafe.
A peek into the National Art Museum, only open to members

One of our fun finds after the tour was their collection on theater and costumes.

A theatrical banner for
the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA),
which performed to boost morale during WWII
Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding dresses recreated for “The Crown”
Shakespeare’s First Folio!

And I really enjoyed the jewelry collection.

Lalique tiara comb and bodice adornment, 1903-4
More pretty baubles for the posh

If we lived here, Bob and I would love to be members of this museum to really take advantage of all of their exhibitions and educational academies. More of our day out on the next blog.

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