The museum was established in 1852 as the South Kensington Museum, following the success of the Great Exhibition of 1851. It was renamed in 1899 in honour of Queen Victoria and her consort Albert.
The building is Victorian and Edwardian. It covers 11 acres, has 145 galleries and a collection of 4 million items. Entrance has been free since November 22, 2001. The museum also runs Apsley House; the Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green; and the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden.
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump