V&A East Timeline

Open Access Artefacts, Bowie Bits and RIBA-worthy Architecture

With two new East London sites and over a quarter of a million archived objects available to view, including British rock-and-roll memorabilia, we've simplified the forthcoming V&A expansion with a handy timeline.

Elton John's costumes being moved to V&A East Storehouse © Jamie Stoker - Image courtesy of VIctoria and Albert Museum, London

MAY 2025

V&A East Storehouse opens its doors for the first time, allowing visitors access to 250,000 artefacts.

Nearest station: Hackney Wick

Located in the Here East complex at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, this colossal four-storey archive features "hacked end" displays, showcasing the new collections in curated mini-exhibits. Home of the Archive of Art and Design, as well as the Theatre and Performance archive, many of the historical and cultural relics featured in these collections have been moved from the Blythe House site in Kensington, but owing to the sheer scale of the Olympic Park site, visitors will also be able to view larger acquisitions for the first time, such as the fifteenth-century gilded wooden ceiling from the Torrijos Palace in Toledo, Spain.

Hacked End displays at V&A Storehouse © Diller Scofidio + Renfro, 2021

SEPTEMBER 2025

The V&A unveils The Bowie Archive as part of the David Bowie Centre for the Study of the Performing Arts at V&A East Storehouse, featuring iconic photographs and costumes from Bowie's stellar career.

Bowie fans will be dancing all the way to Hackney Wick to view seminal costumes such as the Aladdin Sane striped bodysuit designed by Kansai Yamamoto and the quilted two-piece designed by Freddie Burretti for the Ziggy Stardust Tour, as well as the quintessentially whimsical self-portrait used on the Heroes album cover.

Cut up lyrics for ‘Blackout’ from “Heroes”, 1977 by David Bowie. © The David Bowie

SPRING 2026

Opening of V&A East Museum at Stratford Waterfront, designed by award-winning architects, O'Donnell and Tuomey

Made to look like a folded dress - a nod to the V&A's special relationship with global couturiers - this stunning five-storey fashioning is set to be a veritable vision along the East London skyline. Not only will the V&A East Museum act as a cultural hub for the local community, it will no doubt draw visitors from around the world. With major exhibitions, festivals and installations planned for 2026 and beyond, the museum boasts new acquisitions such as Molly Goddard's hot pink Daria dress, worn by Beyoncé in her 2020 visual album, Black is King.

V&A East Museum, Stratford Waterfront - Opening 2026 © O’Donnell + Tuomey / Ninety90, 2018

For more information, visit https://www.vam.ac.uk/east

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