Fort Talk: The Development of Artillery: 'Medieval Bombard to Iraqi Supergun’

Royal Armouries museum at Fort Nelson will host the third in a series of after-hours talks on Wednesday 6 December with guest speaker Nicholas Hall, Curator Emeritus of Artillery.

Nicholas Hall, formerly Keeper of Artillery, was key in helping to develop Fort Nelson from a derelict site for the Royal Armouries and Hampshire County Council.

Nicholas will talk about the changing technology of gunpowder artillery down the centuries, illustrated by examples from the world-class collection of the Royal Armouries. The role of artillery in great world events will be discussed, from the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Using the remarkable artillery collection of the Royal Armouries, Nicholas will make connections between major technological advances in artillery with some of the great events in world history starting with the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

Nigel Hosier, Operations Manager said, ‘Nicholas is a leading expert on the history of the development of artillery and its pivotal role in world events. This talk is a special opportunity to hear Nicholas talk about this fascinating subject drawing on his deep expertise and will appeal to those with an interest in artillery.’

Date: Wednesday 6 December 2017
Time: 7 pm — 9 pm
Tickets: £5 per person and includes refreshments

Tickets are available in advance from the Royal Armouries website: https://royalarmouries.org/events/overview/fort-talks

Fort Nelson is a historic monument, rescued from dereliction and carefully restored. It commands spectacular views over Portsmouth Harbour to the south and the picturesque Meon Valley to the north. The Royal Armouries museum was opened in 1984 for the first time, and today is one of the largest artillery museums in the UK. Set within 19 acres, there is a lot to see and explore including the ramparts, parade, tunnels, galleries and Café 1871. The Fort is open from 10am — 4 pm daily (November — March). Admission is free.

For more details about the Royal Armouries and the national collection housed at Fort Nelson, visit www.royalarmouries.org

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Notes to editors

– Royal Armouries has two other sites at HM Tower of London and in Leeds.
– Fort Nelson in Hampshire houses the national collection of big guns and artillery. It underwent a major refurbishment in 2011, with new galleries and a state-of-the-art education centre. The project was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
– In 2014, it was awarded a Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor.
– The Royal Armouries Museum should not be confused with Royal Armouries International plc, the private sector corporate hospitality business based on the same site in Leeds.
– For further media enquiries and photo opportunities at Fort Nelson, please contact Caroline Chapman, Communications Officer: caroline.chapman@armouruies.org.uk