The Royal Armouries Collection - Collection Gems

Bridgeman Images is proud to represent the Royal Armouries Collection, which aims to tell the story of how arms, artillery and armour have shaped history, art and culture through the ages.

Click here to view all images from the Royal Armouries Collection.

The Royal Armouries is the United Kingdom’s Museum of Arms and Armour and the oldest museum in Britain. Visitors were first allowed entry to the Tower of London to admire the arsenal there after the restoration of King Charles II in 1660. The museum’s collection has grown throughout the ages, swelled by technological and military advances, and soon it was evident that the Tower of London had become too small to house the ever-growing range of exhibits.

In 1996, a new museum was purpose built in Leeds to house the Royal Armouries Museum, though smaller locations in London - and subsequently Portsmouth - remain open today. At its Leeds location, over 4,500 objects are on display through five purpose-built galleries - all of which tell the story of how arms and armour have shaped history, art and culture through the ages. 

Additional UK sites are held at the White Tower, London and at Fort Nelson in Portsmouth, where visitors can explore a museum housing over 700 pieces of artillery from across the world and spanning 600 years of history, including a 15th-century Turkish bombard cannon, a gigantic 200-tonne railway howitzer, and the infamous Iraqi supergun.
 

Between these various establishments the Royal Armouries collection contains some 70,000 examples of arms, armour and artillery dating from antiquity to the present day, including the royal armours of the Tudor and Stuart kings, arms and armour of the English Civil Wars as well as Oriental arms, hunting and sporting weapons and a collection of the fine and decorative arts.
 

 In addition to photography of armour, artillery and objects, a fascinating collection of portraits, many depicting historic people such as generals, commanders or politicians is also held in the collection. Finally, contemporary photography from military campaigns around the world is also held, and offers a fascinating insight into war - from the offensive and defensive operations of entire armies to day-to-day life between individuals behind the front lines.

Click here to view all images from the Royal Armouries Collection.

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