Cast Courts Refurbishment


Fantastic refurbishment of the Victoria and Albert Museum galleries housing casts of sculpture and architectural features from around Europe.

I’ve always loved the cast courts and I was worried that the museum might try to do something new with the space but it has just been refreshed, cleaned and loved. The paint work has been taken back to an original colour and there are nice new information boards, not just about the work there, but also about the history of the gallery and the reason for collecting casts.

The gallery was designed around the large casts of cathedral facades at either gallery and it’s nice that you can view these not only from floor level but also from the gallery from the floor above.

I always manage to spot something new when I go to these galleries so I’m not sure if they’ve fitted in more items or if I’d just not noticed them before. I love the line-up of the early Plantagenet tombs shown here and feel like it was seeing old friends. I’m always amazed by Trajan’s Column which is in better condition here than in situ now. In the refurbishment the gallery has added a lovely peaceful little room in the base of it. 

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