Research Resources

The museum is the home of the largest and most significant collections of arms and armour in the world, spanning both civilian and military use, and running chronologically from antiquity to the present day. It covers the development of arms and armour for military, sporting, presentation and other purposes, with geographical coverage including Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. Its coverage of modern firearms was significantly enhanced with the 2005 accession of the Ministry of Defence Pattern Room collection as the core of the National Firearms Centre.

The museum has significant depth of curatorial expertise in topics related to its collection. It regularly provides specialist advice and training to government bodies such as the Ministry of Defence, Home Office and Crown Prosecution Service. It has a knowledgeable in-house conservation team, with associated facilities including a walk-in X-ray facility and freezer. As well as an archive and library to support academic study, it also has a firing range to facilitate practical experimentation.

 The museum is one of only six national museums headquartered outside London. It welcomed almost 2 million visitors to its three public sites in the year to April 2023, with over a million visitors to its website. It has in-house education and interpretation teams, the latter addressing both the way in which the static gallery displays are presented to the public, and live interpretation, re-enactment, and combat display.

Cover image: © Royal Armouries