Royal Armouries Museum

The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a national museum which displays the National Collection of Arms and Armour. It is part of the Royal Armouries family of museums, the other sites being the Tower of London, its traditional home, Fort Nelson, Hampshire, for the display of its National Collection of Artillery, and permanent galleries within the Frazier History Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The Royal Armouries is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.The Royal Armouries Museum is a £42.5 million purpose built museum located in Leeds Dock that opened in 1996. Its collection was previously on display or in storage at the Tower of London where the Royal Armouries still maintains a presence and displays in the White Tower.As at all UK National Museums, entry is free, though certain extra attractions are charged for.The Museum used live presentations in addition to the static displays to explain the collection. Due to a reorganisation of the Museum in 2010/11, prompted by funding cuts, the interpretation department closed on 31 March 2011.ConstructionThe museum is housed in a new building designed by Derek Walker and Buro Happold and built by Alfred McAlpine.