Galleries and Displays

a couple stop to admire and examine a shining armour with a skirt that once belonged to Henry VIII — The Tournament Gallery

Tournament Gallery

Tournaments were once legendary throughout Europe as sporting competitions for the rich, famous and powerful. See the highly decorated essential items worn, used and exchanged as gifts by King Henry VIII and other nobleman. This gallery evokes the colourful and lavish spectacle of these glorious events, and a new display celebrates the history of modern Jousting and how the Royal Armouries reinvented Tournaments for a new audience. Plus, experience the clash of swords in our live, daily combat demonstrations of arms and armour from this era.

Find out more about the TOURNAMENT Gallery

three excited children getting a better look at the Agincourt model — The War Gallery

War Gallery

From hand-to-hand combat in the Roman empire, to hi-tech modern warfare, explore how technology has changed how we fight and make peace with each other. Our largest gallery features a detailed model of the battle of Agincourt, rare decorative Knight’s sword, Gothic horse armour and a special exhibition on the Second World War, all brought to life with daily live interpretations.

Find out more about the War Gallery

a purple and gold Samurai armour with a fearsome mask in the form of a demon with white whiskers stands guard in the gallery — The Oriental Gallery

Asian and African gallery

Have you ever seen an elephant wearing full body armour? What about a full suit of 19th century Chinese Imperial Guard armour? Or weaponry from Japanese Samurai warriors? Visit this gallery for a dazzling display of priceless objects from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Don’t miss our new 3D Sikh interactive display which enables visitors to see close up just how beautiful these objects are.

Find out more about the Asian and African gallerY

A sinister looking vampire killing kit containing a wooden mallet and four stakes, bottles of garlic, silver and holy water, a crucifix and bible — Self-defence Gallery

Self-defence Gallery

Individuality takes centre stage in this gallery. Discover how personal protection takes many forms, can come in miniscule sizes and ranges from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. In our most varied gallery, you can see a walking stick that is also a gun, a vampire slaying kit, James Bond’s guns, iconic movie props from Aliens and Lord of the Rings and an elegant set of hunting weapons once owned by a Russian Empress.

Find out more about the Self-defence Gallery

looking up into a tall tower of arms and armour — The Hall of Steel

The Hall of Steel

A giant staircase adorned with 2,500 objects arranged in an impressive display to show how items from our collection would have been exhibited at the Tower of London in the 17th century.

With an angled mirror on the ground floor, you can get the full extent of the display as well as pose for the camera in one of our most popular photo spots.

Find out more about the Hall of Steel

Person dressed in a hooded top holding a wooden crossbow in a forest — Crossbow Challenge

Crossbow Challenge

Shoot a real crossbow on our range.

Do you have the skills to be a Sharp-Shot Hero? A Royal Champion? Or even a Legend?

Come and take on our brand-new Crossbow Challenge!

Find out more about the Crossbow Challenge

3D VR view of tournament gallery — 3D Virtual Tour

3D Virtual Tour

Can’t make it to the museum because a) it’s midnight b) you live in Japan c) it’s raining? Well, fear not… we have a virtual 3D tour of the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.

Find out more about the 3D Virtual Tour

Astronaut in spacesuit with bright lights reflecting off his helmet with stars and spaceship in the background — The Escape Room Experience

Escape Room

Can you travel through time and space to uncover the secret histories behind objects in our museum? Work against the clock to crack the code and release the Royal Armouries Agents trapped in another dimension!

Our family friendly Escape Room is open at weekends and every day during school holidays and is suitable for ages 8+. Tickets start from £10, and family tickets are also available.

Find out more about the Escape Room experience

Special Exhibitions Gallery

We host special large-scale exhibitions on the 4th floor, and change these regularly.

This area is closed as we prepare for our next special exhibition, Gladiators: Heroes of the Colosseum, which will open in June 2025.

Find out more about the Gladiators exhibition

Temporary Community Displays

We regularly co-create temporary exhibition displays with community groups and volunteers. We work closely with different groups to ensure a diverse range of voices can be amplified. Our most recent display, which ran from Sepetember 2023 until the end of November 2024, was developed in partnership with Leeds 2023, with funding from Heritage Lottery Fund, it explored the hidden stories of gender in our collection. Find out more about Forgotten Battles: Gender in the Armouries exhibition and object trail.

Find out more about Forgotten Battles

Collection highlights

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The Tula garniture

Location: Self defence gallery
Nearly all guns were made for men, but some wealthy women also owned fine guns and enjoyed shooting. This elegantly decorated set of weapons belonged to Elizabeth Petrovna (1709–62), daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I of Russia. During her reign she encouraged the Russian arts, founding the Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg and the University of Moscow.

Learn more about this object at our Collection online
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Colonel Popham's armour

Location: War gallery
This rare light armour is traditionally associated with Alexander Popham, a colonel in the army of Parliament during the English Civil Wars. In the 17th century, buff leather coats became increasingly common as plate armour fell out of use. The heavy breast and back plates are designed to be shot-proof, with the sharply-angled waistline reflecting the fashion of the period.

Learn more about this object at our Collection online
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Armour for man and horse

Location: War gallery
Gothic armours, fashionable in Germany in the late 15th century, are usually regarded as the pinnacle of the medieval armourer’s art. Slender and elegant, with attractive fluted decoration and cusped and scalloped edges, they represent the armourer’s version of contemporary Gothic architecture.

Learn more about this object at our Collection online
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M41A Pulse rifle

Location: Self defence gallery
One of the most iconic sci-fi weapons of all time, the ‘pulse rifle’ was designed by director James Cameron for his classic 1986 film Aliens. The firing props combine a Thompson submachine gun from the Second World War with parts from Remington and Franchi shotguns. This example appeared on screen in both Aliens and Aliens 3 (1992).

Learn more about this object at our Collection online
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A small 'assassins' crossbow

Location: Self defence gallery
Only fifteen of these so-called ‘assassins’ crossbows are known. It is less than 20 cm long so was small enough to be concealed by would-be assassins, the hollow handle contains the screw-jack mechanism by which the string is spanned. In sixteenth-century Venice, the punishment for carrying such a crossbow whilst wearing a mask was to have both hands cut off.

Learn more about this object at our Collection online
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Ming dynasty Tibetan sword (jian)

Location: Oriental gallery
This sword is one of the most beautiful surviving examples of ornate metalwork from the early Ming dynasty. Interaction with Tibetan Buddhism increased in China during this period, and this sword fittings depict auspicious emblems of Buddhism. This high-status sword could have been made for presentation to a powerful Tibetan monastery or allied ruler, or even for the Yongle Emperor himself.

Learn more about this object at our Collection online
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Elephant armour

Location: Oriental gallery
War elephants often formed the shock troops of South Asian armies. During battles, they were both powerful fighting animals and intimidating mobile vantage points. Accounts from the 15th and 16th centuries mention charging war elephants wearing tusk swords whilst ravaging enemies on the battlefield or battering fort defences.

Learn more about this object at our Collection online