V&a East Storehouse

Museum

Explorer Tom

V&A East Storehouse in Hackney Wick invites you into the sort of museum store where the shelves are part of the show. Half a million works live here, and the soaring central hall lets visitors peer across levels of art, design and objects that would usually stay politely hidden behind a locked door. The storehouse sits inside the Here East building by Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Public walkways thread through the working collection, with small displays that explain individual objects and the stories linking them. From an upper level you can watch conservators at work through a glass overlook. This is a real working store, so staff may be moving objects while you visit; the building makes that careful labour visible rather than pretending treasured things float into exhibitions by magic. General admission is free and usually needs no booking. If one particular object has caught your eye, the museum's Order an Object service lets you request an appointment in advance to see it up close with staff. That is a separate arrangement from simply walking in. Check the current visit page before travelling: temporary closures can occur, and the operator has announced closure on 29 and 30 October 2026. The entrance is on Parkes Street, not at the separate V&A East Museum a short walk away. I suspect the objects swap stories each night about which visitor looked most surprised; I would almost certainly win. That is my fancy, but the invitation to look behind the scenes is real. Come ready to wander, choose one unfamiliar thing to learn about, and leave knowing that a museum's storeroom can be an adventure in its own right.

This does not grant access. Check current paths, opening conditions and ownership before entering.