A Trip around the Royal Armouries

The surprise was the entrance to the Royal Armouries In Leeds is free.  I can’t think of any comparative attraction in Australia which wouldn’t have an admission charge.

Everything in the main building is on three floors with a round tower and circular staircase at the opposite end to the entrance.  The ground floor is mostly taken up with shop, cafe, administration and conference/theatrette rooms.  The exhibitions are on levels 1 and 2.  This fat old man decided to take the stairs for a little exercise.  The plan was to walk directly up to level 2  and then slowly make my way back down viewing the exhibitions. 

The staircase tower is hollow with a large multi-faced pyramid mirror at the base.

By looking at each mirrored face of the pyramid it is possible to view all the weapons that have be fixed to the vertical interior wall of the tower.

I guess if you have a surplus of swords, bayonets, guns, rifles and armour it’s a clever way to get them all on display.  It’s also possible to look into the tower from levels 1 and 2.

Both exhibition levels are divided into various “theme” rooms.  The oriental room included Arabian weapons.

This isn’t one of Hannibal's elephants.  Its ears are too small.  Obviously a lightly armoured Indian elephant.

On first glimpse it was initially hard to identify this next scene.

Obviously a crouching elephant with a handler who appears to be falling off.  Walk around to the opposite side and you find one seriously annoyed elephant.  You’d probably feel the same if a tiger had you by the nose.

Two armoured horsemen look like they might be going to get their comeuppance.

There were plenty of interactive and audio visual displays to keep the ankle biters amused.  Actually some of them were quite wound up by the time they reached the shop on the ground floor grabbing swords and shields whilst driving mothers to despair!

For me, it wasn’t all leisure.  I still had work to do checking Jan was hard at it.

Ah yes…..  Good girl, hose out and filling the water tank whilst I do the hard stuff.

Verdict.  The Royal Armouries are well worth a visit!