Mission Statement
The Royal Armouries believes in the provision of equality of opportunity, and has a commitment to providing transparent, meaningful, educational access and linked services to all its visitors and employees.
The Royal Armouries is the nation’s foremost collection of arms and armour. It has a custom-built museum in Leeds, maintains its historic presence in the Tower of London and has a site for its artillery at Fort Nelson in Hampshire. Its close international connections include Russia, Kentucky, USA and the Nikko Toshogu Shrine, a World Heritage Site, in Japan – all of which have shared collections and projects with the Royal Armouries. Its prize objects include the very English armours of Henry VIII and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, but also, and perhaps most surprisingly, the only elephant armour and pangolin armour on open display in the world!
In recent years the Royal Armouries has embarked on a journey to promote the values of responsibility and respect, to establish partnerships and to address the misuse of weaponry and aggression.
The use of violence by humankind for supremacy or survival, or its sublimation into sport or play always has been, and probably always will be, one of the main forces for historical change. This is the underlying theme of the Royal Armouries, a fascinating and often disturbing story of great importance to our children and us.
Since the 1990s, the Royal Armouries has been working with various organisations to help people develop a real understanding of their safety and security.
Through educational and community work, exhibitions, gallery enhancements and partnerships, we have begun to address some of the most challenging and controversial issues facing contemporary society. The Royal Armouries recognises that disability and equality are at the core of the delivery of this vision. To this end we have appointed a full time Access Office to make this vision a reality.