Royal Armouries Museum facts for kids
 |
|
The Royal Armouries Museum and Knight's Way Bridge
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Location | Leeds Dock, Leeds, LS10 England |
| Type | National museum |
| Visitors | 240,000 (2019) |
| Public transit access |
|
The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, England, is a national museum. It holds the amazing National Collection of Arms and Armour. This museum is part of the larger Royal Armouries family. Other locations include the historic Tower of London and Fort Nelson, Hampshire. The Royal Armouries is a public body. It gets support from the government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds opened in 1996. It cost £42.5 million to build this special museum. Before this, many of its items were at the Tower of London. The Tower of London still has some Royal Armouries displays. Like other national museums in the UK, entry to the Royal Armouries Museum is free. However, some special attractions might have a small charge.
Contents
Building the Museum
The museum was one of the first projects built using a special UK plan. This plan involved a public body working with a private company. The Royal Armouries worked with Royal Armouries International (RAI). RAI got money from banks and other companies. They then hired Derek Walker and Buro Happold to design the building. Alfred McAlpine built the museum. It cost £42.5 million. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the museum in March 1996.
Where to Find It
The museum is located near the city center of Leeds. It sits on the south bank of the River Aire. This area is a lively part of the Leeds waterfront. You can find it on Armouries Square, within Leeds Dock. You can get there by car using Armouries Drive and Chadwick Street.
What's Inside
Main Building Design
The Royal Armouries Museum was designed especially for its collection. The ceilings are very tall, about 6.5 meters high. This allows them to display the longest weapons standing upright!
Besides the five main galleries, there's also the Peace Gallery. The museum also has the Hall of Steel. This is a giant staircase with walls covered in 2,500 objects. These displays look like the old weapon displays from the Tower of London. The main entrance to the museum is from Armouries Square.
War Gallery
This gallery shows how warfare has changed over time. You can see displays about:
- Battles from ancient times and the Middle Ages
- Weapons and armor from the 17th and 18th centuries
- Items from the 19th and 20th centuries
Peace Gallery
This gallery is inside the War Gallery. It makes you think about a future without weapons. It explores ideas like disarmament. This gallery works with the Peace Museum in nearby Bradford.
Africa & Asia Gallery
This gallery features amazing items from different parts of the world:
- South and South-east Asia
- China and Japan
- Central Asia, Islam and India
Tournament Gallery
This is a large gallery spread over two floors. It showcases many different arms and armor. These were used during the exciting days of jousting.
Self Defence Gallery
This gallery has several interesting displays:
- Arms and armor as a form of art
- How regular people used weapons for protection
- Make: Believe – an exhibition about how weapons and armor appear in movies and games. It also shows how popular culture influences weapon design.
Jousting Arena
Next to the River Aire is the Jousting Arena. It is about 150 meters long. Even though the museum doesn't have its own horses anymore, it still hosts two big jousting contests each year. Competitors come from all over the world!
The biggest jousting event is at Easter. Four teams compete from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. The final tournament is on Easter Monday. In the Summer, the jousting season ends with a final competition. Jousters from around the world compete for The Queen's Golden Jubilee Trophy.
Images for kids
-
The Horned Helmet that was the basis for the museum's original logo
-
Former Royal Armouries Museum logo, designed by Minale Tattersfield.
-
Mask sculpture outside the museum
-
The Boulevard at Clarence Dock, looking towards the Royal Armouries Museum
-
The north end of the museum featuring the Hall of Steel
-
Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds: Looking up the main stairwell in the Hall of Steel
-
War Gallery in Leeds
