Wikipedia

Royal Armouries Museum

For the artillery museum, see Fort Nelson, Hampshire.

The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a national museum that holds the National Collection of Arms and Armour. It is part of the Royal Armouries family of museums, with other sites at the Royal Armouries' traditional home in the Tower of London, and the National Collection of Artillery at Fort Nelson, Hampshire. The Royal Armouries is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.[2]

Royal Armouries Museum
The Royal Armouries Museum and Knight's Way Bridge
Royal Armouries Museum is located in Leeds
Royal Armouries Museum
Location within Leeds
Established1996; 28 years ago (1996)
LocationLeeds Dock, Leeds, LS10
England
Coordinates53°47′31″N 1°31′57″W / 53.79194444°N 1.53250000°W / 53.79194444; -1.53250000
TypeNational museum
Visitors240,000 (2019)[1]
DirectorNat Edwards
Public transit access
  • West Yorkshire Metro Leeds railway station
  • Bus interchange 29 to Chadwick Street (stop A1)
  • Bus interchange 167 to Black Bull Street (stop A5)
  • ferry/water interchange Leeds Water Taxi
Websiteroyalarmouries.org

The Royal Armouries Museum is a £42.5 million purpose-built museum located in Leeds Dock that opened in 1996. Its collection was previously on display or in storage at the Tower of London where the Royal Armouries still maintains a presence and displays in the White Tower.[3]

As at all UK National Museums, entry is free, though certain extra attractions are charged for.

Construction

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The museum was one of the first projects carried out under the UK private finance initiative: a non-departmental public body, the Royal Armouries, contracted with a private sector company, Royal Armouries International (RAI), which was financed by a long-term bank loan together with equity investment from 3i, Gardner Merchant, Electra and Yorkshire Electricity.[4] RAI commissioned a new building to accommodate the museum: it was designed by Derek Walker and Buro Happold,[5] and built by Alfred McAlpine at a cost of £42.5 million.[6] and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in March 1996.[7]

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    The Horned Helmet that was the basis for the museum's original logo[8]
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    Former Royal Armouries Museum logo, designed by Minale Tattersfield.[8]
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    Mask sculpture outside the museum

Location

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Situated close to Leeds city centre on the South bank of the River Aire the museum is one of the focal points of the regenerated Leeds waterfront. It is located on Armouries Square, in Leeds Dock. Road access is by Armouries Drive and Chadwick Street.[9]

Features

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Main building

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The Royal Armouries Museum itself was designed from the inside out. The ceiling heights of the new building were designed to accommodate the longest staff weapons in the collections, displayed vertically, and are 6.5 meters off the ground at their highest point.[10]

In addition to the five original galleries which house 5,000 objects in the permanent displays and the Peace Gallery, the museum also includes the Hall of Steel, a giant staircase whose walls are decorated with trophy displays composed of 2,500 objects reminiscent of the historical trophy displays erected by the Tower Armouries from the 17th century.[3]

The main entrance to the museum is accessed from Armouries Square.[11]

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    The Boulevard at Clarence Dock, looking towards the Royal Armouries Museum
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    The north end of the museum featuring the Hall of Steel

War

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With displays dedicated to:[12]

Peace – farewell to arms?

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This gallery can be found within the War Gallery and looks at the potential for a future free of arms, looking at disarmament and concepts such as détente. This gallery is in partnership with the Peace Museum in nearby Bradford.[13]

Africa & Asia

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A gallery with displays dedicated to:[14]

Tournament

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A large gallery on two floors showing a variety of arms and armour from the glory days of jousting.[15]

Self defence

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This gallery has a number of different displays dedicated to:[16]

  • Arms and armour as art
  • The armed civilian
  • Make: Believe – an exhibition celebrating the impact of arms and armour in popular culture, and of popular culture's impact on the design and development of arms and armour.

Tiltyard

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Running alongside the River Aire for 490 feet (150 m), with seating on the land-ward side, is the Jousting Arena: though the museum no longer has its own horses, two important jousting contests each year are still held with competitors from all over the world.[17] Easter is the height of the jousting calendar when the arena hosts a four-day international competition between up to four jousting teams. The four teams compete from Good Friday to Easter Sunday against each other, with the tournament final on Easter Monday.[18] Summer sees the jousting season close with the last tournament of the year, an individual joust with jousters from all over the world competing for The Queen's Golden Jubilee Trophy.[19]

Exhibits

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    Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds: Looking up the main stairwell in the Hall of Steel
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    War Gallery in Leeds

Funding cuts

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In March 2011, following a 15% reduction in the Royal Armouries's funding,[20] seventeen members of staff "including all of the museum’s expert horse riders, professional actors and stable staff" lost their jobs.[21]

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The museum is mentioned in the Kaiser Chiefs song "Team Mate", from the band's debut album, Employment.[22]

The Nightmare Stacks, by Charles Stross, is mainly set in and around Leeds and the novel's title is an allusion to the museum's holdings.[23]

The Gamespot YouTube series "Firearms Expert Reacts" was filmed on the museum grounds and features the Royal Armouries Keeper of Firearms and Artillery, Jonathan Ferguson, analyzing the design and use of firearms in popular video games.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Visitor numbers on the rise at Royal Armouries". www.royalarmouries.org. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Museums and galleries – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk.
  3. ^ a b "Royal Armouries Leeds History". Archived from the original on 1 March 2012.
  4. ^ "Public Private Partnership Cases involving Land Development in the United Kingdom and the United States" (PDF). Legislative Council Secretariat. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Structure minimizes resources used". The Architectural Review. 1 January 2000. Archived from the original on 30 December 2004. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  6. ^ "The Department for Culture, Media and Sport: The Re-negotiation of the PFI-type Deal for the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds – National Audit Office (NAO) Report". National Audit Office.
  7. ^ "Queen meets queen at opening of Royal Armouries in Leeds". Yorkshire Evening Post. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b Argent, Patrick (8 November 2010). "What happened to identity?". Design Week. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Royal Armouries Museum". 19 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Exhibitions". Royal Armouries Museum. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Armouries Square, Royal Armouries". Scribble Stone. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Royal Armouries Leeds War Gallery". Archived from the original on 22 August 2011.
  13. ^ "Royal Armouries, Leeds Peace Gallery". Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
  14. ^ "Royal Armouries Leeds Oriental Gallery". Archived from the original on 16 June 2013.
  15. ^ "Tournament gallery". 19 February 2018.
  16. ^ "Royal Armouries Leeds, Self Defence Gallery". Archived from the original on 21 November 2008.
  17. ^ "Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds Arena". Archived from the original on 15 June 2013.
  18. ^ "Royal Armouries presents international jousting in the heart of Yorkshire". Royal Armouries. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Royal Armouries Leeds Hosts Queen's Jousting Tournament". Culture24. 22 August 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Royal Armouries set for job losses". Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  21. ^ "Leeds Armouries: Jousters given boot". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  22. ^ "Kaiser Chiefs: Homeward bound". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2014. Ricky explains the influence of his hometown on their debut album, Employment: "... I even mention the Royal Armouries in one song...
  23. ^ "Crib Sheet: The Nightmare Stacks – Charlie's Diary". www.antipope.org. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  24. ^ "Experts React – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
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