About Royal Armouries

The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom's national museum of arms and armour, and one of the most important museums of its type in the world.

Its origins lie in the Middle Ages: its celebrated core collection originating in the nation's working arsenal, assembled over many centuries at the Tower of London.

In the reign of Elizabeth I, selected items began to be arranged for display to visitors, making the Royal Armouries heir to one of the oldest deliberately created visitor attractions in the country.

The collection of about 75,000 items – excluding approximately 2,700 loans to other bodies – is now displayed and housed not only in the Tower of London but also at our purpose-built museum in Leeds, and at Fort Nelson near Portsmouth. Since 2005, the museum has also managed the national collection of firearms, started in 1631 by Charles I and assembled by the British Army, now housed at the National Firearms Centre.

Visit the Royal Armouries website

Our Charitable Status

Royal Armouries is an exempt charity as listed in the Schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011 and is recognised as charitable by HM Revenue & Customs and all donations are invested back into the museum, to care for the collection and help to keep it free for future generations to enjoy.

 

The Royal Armouries Museum shop is owned and managed by Royal Armouries Trading and Enterprises Ltd, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the the Royal Armouries Museum. Every purchase directly supports our mission to preserve our collection for future generations to enjoy.