Archives

The main holdings are located in the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds and relate mainly to:

• Royal Armouries and its collection
• Arms and armour and related subjects, including a number of collections of personal papers of well known authors and collectors
• The Royal Small Arms Factory (Enfield) and the MOD Pattern Room
• Company records, such as G.E. Lewis and Wilkinson Sword

We also have important collections relating to the:

• History of the Tower of London and its institutions at the White Tower
• Artillery and related subjects at Fort Nelson

Searching the catalogue

We have a searchable online catalogue designed to enable access to all of its collections. The archives section of the catalogue is being developed and updated, and currently only a small part of the holdings can be searched.

Our archives service

• We provide facilities for researchers to access the archives at all three of our sites, as well as a record copying service at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds
• We develop temporary exhibitions based on material in the archives, and highlight items from the collections in our Stories
• We offer talks and seminars about the archives
• We work in partnership with other archives and heritage organisations in Yorkshire, Hampshire and London

Archive Guides

• Guide to the Royal Armouries Archives (pdf, 64 KB)
• Handling Guidelines (pdf, 15 KB)
• Reading Room Regulations (pdf, 19 KB)

Opening times

• Tuesday to Friday
• 10am to 4pm

Access is strictly by appointment only.

Contact us

Archivist      
Royal Armouries Museum      
Armouries Drive      
LEEDS      
LS10 1LT      
archives@armouries.org.uk