Follow the growth of the Royal Armouries collections from their roots in the Tower arsenal and Ordnance Office to Britain’s national museum of arms and armour.
Descended from one of the Tower’s oldest organisations, these stores have both equipped the nation’s fighting forces and provided material for public display. Like the site, they have adapted to changing times and continue to offer visitors a window onto the wider world.
Highlights
An enormous ledger has handwritten entries for the receipts, issues and returns from the Office of the Ordnance at the Tower of London from 1675–1679. It is a storage problem in its own right.
Parade lance said to have belonged to Charles Brandon, Henry VIII’s favourite and later brother-in-law. It was not used in competitive jousting, but paraded beforehand to demonstrate competitors’ skills and horsemanship.
Mid-15th century wooden saddle of the Hungarian Order of the Dragon. Believed to have been given to King Henry V by the Order’s founder King Sigismund of Hungary. Other famous members of the Order include Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler.
East meets west in a Japanese presentation armour given to King James I & VI by Tokugawa Hidetada, and brought back to the King by James Saris of the East India Company in 1613. It has been fascinating Tower visitors since 1659.
16th century halberd head recovered from the Thames. The river mud has protected the original decoration. Its relatives surviving from the Tudor armoury at the Tower were not so lucky and have lost their original finish through over cleaning.
