Michelin House

I'd seen it from afar on a couple previous forays into Chelsea and South Kensington, but this time, walking home from the V&A, we passed right by it, and Vicki indulged my desire to document it as fully as reasonable. (Our definitions of "reasonable" diverge occasionally). Anyhow, "it" is the Michelin House, built in 1911, Michelin's original office and tyre (tire) distribution center in Britain. It features the Michelin Man, Bibendum, of course, and is as close as you're going to get to an Art Nouveau tire store. Anywhere. Among many other items, Michelin House features a couple dozen tile depictions of the great automobile races of 1890s and early 1900s. I have pictures of all of them now, should anyone be interested. Most will be posted below anyway. Michelin House became a mixed-use business facility in the late 1900s, but has retained all its many beautiful exterior ornaments. Look here and here for further information and amusement.

Muy importante...first use of Michelin tires in a race

Incredible place, if you're into London architecture, business history,

art nouveau, tires...

Victoria and Albert Museum, 2026, I

We visited the V&A several times in 2026, and also the V&A Storehouse and the V&A East, posts on which will appear in due course. Although we've been to the South Kensington V&A many times, we kept finding new exhibits, new items, new angles. And so we visited the great museum three times this year. Past visits include:

https://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2009/11/victoria-and-albert-museum.html
https://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2021/08/and-yet-another-day-at-v.html
https://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2021/08/victoria-and-albert-museum-2021.html
https://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2021/08/another-day-at-v.html

https://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2021/09/victoria-and-albert-museum-conclusion.html

https://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2024/08/not-so-many-pix-from-v-and-bm.html.

Before preceding any further, I have to remark that the
V&A's "rest" areas surpass any of those of other museums of my
acquaintance...compare, e.g., the Louvre

Even prayer rugs, for those so inclined (declined?)

Anyhow, searching for things new (to us) we headed for the
design department

And were not disappointed...this a cascading lamp designed
by Dali

Thanks to Vicki's then early-adopter mode, we owned one of
these...Ohio, 1977

Drawers...Dali would have been greatly amused

Wearable Google street view equipment

Desk

Digital detox box

Comfy chair...mocking commericalism...it said

Now we have moved on to the Gilbert Collection halls...above and
following are a variety of micro-mosaic images

From Hadrian's Villa...the Romans excelled at micro-mosaic pix...
the first we saw at the archeological museum in Naples, from Pompeii,
so fine one has to stand very, very close to see it's a mosaic and not a
painting

Ultimate example...Rome from the Janiculum...incredible

Rest areas, continued...show me anything comparable in the museum world

Apart from championing micro-mosaics, the Gilberts
also did silver and other precious materials

Who the Gilberts were...major acquisition for the V&A,
opened just two years ago

We have drifted on now to the silver areas

(Rich) Kiddie silver

One drifts from hall to hall, room to room...now we
are in a Medieval Christian area

Body or other parts from assorted saints, other demi-gods

Preview of next V&A posts, the plaster casts...