First opened in 1873, the V&A´s Cast Courts were purpose built to house copies of architecture and sculpture from around the world. They contain some of the Museum´s largest objects, including casts of Trajan´s Column (shown in two halves) and the twelfth century Portico de la Gloria from the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. Among the Museum´s most popular galleries, the Cast Courts are an extraordinary expression of Victorian taste, Ambition and public spirit.