Royal Armouries – 25 years in Leeds

An exhibition celebrating 25 years of the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Explore the image galleries and videos below to learn about how our museum moved to its current home in Leeds and the story of the move from our historic home at the Tower of London. Also, learn about our Then and Now community project where we worked with residents of Leeds Dock to create works of art that reunite the past and present of the area through photography that blends the old and new.

Celebrating 25 years of the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds

2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Over the last twenty-five years we have entertained and educated millions of visitors about the nation’s collection of arms and armour.

By 1989, centuries of collecting had left the Tower of London, our original home, packed full of arms and armour and unable to do the collection justice. The decision was made to find a new home. After seven years of meticulous planning, Clarence Dock in Leeds was chosen as the venue, and the Royal Armouries Museum opened in 1996.

Since then, our flagship Museum, with five galleries and a specially built tiltyard has welcomed well 200,000 visitors a year. They have enjoyed live interpretation, falconry displays, crafting demonstrations and incredible jousting tournaments featuring competitors from all over the globe.

Explore this exhibition to discover the exciting story behind our move to Yorkshire and see some of the amazing events and displays we’ve held at the Museum over the last 25 years.

Explore the images below to learn about the history of the Museum

Illistration of the Royal armouies — A painting of the Royal Armouries Museum at Clarence Dock, by architectural artist Carl Laubin

Aerial view of the run-down old Clarence Dock industrial area before the Royal Armouries museum was built — Clarence Dock, December 1993

design plans of the royal armouries top down — Architectural sketch of the Royal Armouries building at Clarence Dock

Two cosutmed riders on horses parade with construction cranes i nthe background — Live interpreters take a horseback tour of museum construction site, 1995

The Museum would be the centrepiece of a newly renovated Clarence Dock in Leeds, which was planned as a 37.5-acre site of major tourist attractions including craft shops, cafes and hotels. — Aerial view of the new Royal Armouries Museum at Clarence Dock, 1996

Workers back pikes in foam padding — Weapons being prepared for transport from the Tower of London to the new Museum in Leeds in 1996

An illustration of a cutaway of the Royal Armouries museum — A cross section concept illustration of the new Royal Armouries Museum

A man places firearms in a display case — Preparing the display cases, 1995

A model elephant head rests on a stand — An elephant under construction, 1996

two men fight in full armour with poleaxes — A foot combat demonstration in the Tournament Gallery, 1996

a woman dressed in costum shows two children an old firearm — A live interpreter talks to two young visitors to the Royal Armouries Museum, 2004

Two men examine firearms on a table — Inspection of firearms from the MoD Pattern Room donation, 2005

a crowd waves yellow flags watching riders — Crowds cheer for their favourite rider at the Easter Joust at the Royal Armouries, 2007

a multistory display of arms and armour — The Hall of Steel

A crane lifts a morta against a sunrise — A mortar being hoisted into position, 2013

a case of old firearms — Pistols safely stored and conserved in the National Firearms Centre, 2013

Wanted posters hang from balconies as a crowd watches cowboy preformers from three floors — A Wild West showdown at the Royal Armouries, 2013

two men look at a case, there is a blurry artillary shell in the foreground — Two visitors inspect a display case about the weapons of the First World War, 2014

three horse riders in armour against a blue sky — Four jousters get ready to compete at the tiltyard of the Royal Armouries, 2018

Lances shatter as jousters tilt at each other — Two lances shatter during the Easter Joust 2018

A cowboy falls out of the saddle of a running horse — Wild West stunt riding, 2018

A group of children are entertained by a jester outside — Jester performance outside the Royal Armouries, 2018

Four people in millitary uniforms from diffrent eras cross a zebra crossing — Live Interpreters at a pedestrian crossing in Leeds, 2019

A drawing of a science fiction battle — A vision of war in space, 1996

Then and Now

In the 25 years since the Royal Armouries first opened its doors, Clarence Dock and the surrounding area has transformed from a former industrial transport hub into a thriving cultural district which is home to a vibrant community.

To explore just how much the area surrounding the museum has changed, we got together with local residents with an interest in photography. Using image manipulation software, our community group has merged old photos of the dock with their own photos recreating the same views today. The result has been a series of ‘Then and Now’ composite images, which you can see here.

Royal Armouries – 25 years in Leeds

Celebrating 25 years of the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds

Explore the images below to learn about the history of the Museum

Then and Now

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