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    Royal Armouries

    4.4 (57 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    Horse Show: Elizabethan Riding Skills at Outside, Tiltyard.
    Ting A.

    Definitely check out this museum if visiting Leeds. Tickets are even free. Free activities happen throughout the day too. Since shows can take place outside of the museum, wristbands are handed to permit re-entry. We attended two events. I highly recommend the horse show, which happened at 12 PM and 3 PM. ----- [11:15 AM] Japanese Samurai Demo at Floor 4, Oriental Gallery, Dojo Learn how the legendary Japanese Samurai "fast draw" sword attack was developed. ----- [12:00 PM] Horse Show: Elizabethan Riding Skills at Outside, Tiltyard Watch as some of our experienced riders display their skills in sword cutting and archery as they prepare for the hunt. The horse stables are open for thirty minutes following the show to allow visitors to meet the horses, ask questions, or take pictures. ----- As for the museum itself, there are five floors, but a couple of them function as viewing galleries for people to view from above when seats are filled for a demo. Exhibitions primarily occupy two floors with a good range of armory and historical categories. My brother's only sadness was that the glass was not anti-reflective, making it difficult to take clear photos. We stayed for roughly two hours. There was a number of folks on a Friday, but the museum is spacious enough that it never felt crowded. Guest Wi-Fi is available.

    A photo of Royal Armouries in Leeds.

    Great place for school trips! The first time I went was on a school trip, which I loved, and sometimes I still go there now! But the state of the toilets are not very good and there are people who damage the exabits, even when security is there with them! Security could be better. A lot of the computer equipment is broken and the archer video game in the medieval area never works (comment if you remember the archer game, and tell me if it is still there!) but overall its a great place to go, just don't go on busy days!

    Rowena H.

    OK, so you might judge me for this. But I have a confession, and I'm preparing for the onslaught... I've only just, this last weekend, had a proper nosy around the Royal Armouries. *Ducks the flying objects* I know, right? How can I have left it so long before taking a look around? I don't know, guys. I don't know. But I did, and now I've been, and now I know what the fuss is about. The fuss is about mother flippin' awesome sword collections. Insight into armies and armouries of old, weaponry of all kinds, tradition, history - the things that got us to where we are today. It's not a comfortable thought, to look at old weapons and realise what an influence they are on where we are today, but it is what it is. Since we only had an hour and a half before closing, the chap and I gunned (sorry for the pun) straight for the Eastern collection. I had a sneaky look at cross bows first, and immediately coveted one for some unknown reason, and then stood in awe looking at the size and variation of weaponry in the next room. The collection of Chinese swords, glaives, and various other hand held items was really impressive. The glaives look so heavy and are so massive, I can't imagine how they were able to fight. And there's even an evil looking claw, (eagle claw?!) for ripping clothing or something. The videos were great too, I watched an awesome one about the archery tradition in Japan, which is ongoing. These guys are incredible - they gallop along a track, standing on the horse, and fire at targets something like 75m apart. Not easy at full speed on a horse. Amazing to see. And there was one about sword making, I think, but alas children were in the way. (I forgive them!) The only downer is the café. It irks me no end that the museums I've been to in this country all seem to have such a disappointing and lack lustre offering where refreshment is concerned. The space could be an attraction in itself, with artisan coffees, locally made cakes, and such like. But no, the paintings on the wall appear faded from having been there for the last millenia, the coffee is from a sub-par machine, the cakes are in excess of £2.50 for a tiny pre-packaged slice, and the décor is... drab doesn't cover it. A real shame. You do get a view of the waterside though. So - five stars for all the awesome collections - and I'll be back to see more soon - but minus points for the naff café. Although, I'll finish by saying get yourself down there!

    tree (2014)
    Jessica H.

    On a windy Sunday with no desire to go shopping, the Royal Armouries was our destination of choice. To be honest, we actually started our visit with a trip to the cafe - ever thinking about our stomachs before culture! But who can really soak in facts about swords on an empty stomach? The food is simple, paninis and the like, with staff who probably would rather be anywhere else, but cheap (especially considering how expensive some museum/gallery cafes can be). We went to the top of the museum and worked our way down via the stairs, and I think we actually missed some floors out. These stairs are far too confusing - but look up/down and they have an amazing display of armour, so worth using. The displays, as Kaleigh P. mentions, were largely quite tired and overused; a pair of armoured gloves, for example, were completely worn down and unusable. Exhibitions were interesting, including one about the swords of Middle Earth, which the other half loved. A good hour or so spent out of the cold, but a bit of TLC needed.

    Jonny S.

    Going back to the Royal Armouries recently was a bit of a let down. Probably because the last time I went there I was 11 and ten years on, I'm not as impressed with a knight's shining armour as I used to be. The museum itself is full to the brim with, as you might expect, swords and shields and other silver stuff of that ilk but it's not that which seperates the Armouries from other museums in the country. It's the exhibitions and the events, often held outside, often recreating medieval scenes, that are well worth the entry fee. When I was a young man, I remember being overwhelmed by a joust that took place. And this month, there's a Medieval Crime and Punishment exhibiton - where a theatre society take to Armouries Square and demonstrate different methods of punishment. I'll be sure to be a good boy, then...

    Display of horsemen at floor 2
    Soniya A.

    This museum was right across the street and Ibhad delayed seeing it but when I walked in... and explored a couple of levels I was left in awe. There is an excellent collection of arms and vests and even the modern day warfare materials. The museum has 6 levels I guess and there are various exhibits to keep you busy for hours

    Hall of Steel
    Lynsey H.

    Lovely museum. I was visiting a friend in Leeds and it was somewhere she had always wanted to visit, so we went along. Entry is free, which is always a bonus. The museum is quite large. My favorite part was seeing all the weapons that were on display in the Hall of Steel and the section looking at different cultures and their weapons in the oriental gallery. There was also an interesting section on the police, which I really enjoyed. I was impressed to find that the museum has activities that take place throughout the day, including jousting in the tournament gallery and I discovered that a jousting league exists and there are competitions outdoors at various locations around the country in the summer months! I would be interested in learning more about that! Definitely an interesting place to visit and a good rainy day activity.

    Main stairwell from the inside
    Qype User (savoca…)

    I have been there two times in the past year an I have enjoyed it very much. So did the people that went with me. The museum is huge, you will need at least two hours to see all the stuff that is on display. Every floor has weapons and weapon related item from a different place of the world or a different age. My favorite ones are the modern and Japanese ones. The entry to the museum is free, but you have to pay for your souvenirs (obviously) and for some of the shows such as the brilliant falconry display (about 50p or so). Great place for a day out in Leeds.

    Qype User (RigsVi…)

    Another 5 star rating from me. I've been here a number of times really found the place interesting, educational and very enjoyable. If your ever in the area it's well worth taking the time (and you will need loads of time as the place is huge) to visit.

    Thomas M.

    Superb military (history) museum for all ages. When in Leeds make sure you'll find the time to visit the Royal Armouries, a spectacular military history museum on the banks of the Leeds-Liverpool canal (or close to it). It's a 12-15 minute walk from the railway station or the city centre. The sheer number and beauty of the exhibits is astounding. I went there twice, in consecutive years, and I found it just as intriguing the second time. There are three floors with military objects (lots and lots of firearms, cannons, uniforms, and other accessories), all well-presented and well-documented. So you can really learn something. If you're lucky you might just catch one of their "interactive demos", which means you can be part of a sword fight with armor on and see for yourself what it was like to be a warring knight in the middle ages. The presentation really is first-rate. On the ground floor there are a few "active" displays that let you test e.g. how to fire a rifle, but not all of them seem to be in working order. There are also a café and a souvenir shop. The building itself is very modern and inviting, with plenty of light in the main hall. Very good collection of arms and other objects, well presented. Go there if in Leeds!

    Peasants attacking Knights
    Sue T.

    I've been a few times and went today with 2 children, 2 oldies and 3 of us the samish age. It took awhile to get there from town as it was a bit of a trek for the oldies but on average it would be about 15 minutes. Was lots to see and read about the various weapons and the layout on the stairs was impressive. We were greeted by one of the staff who gave us a brochure of the things on that day. This was helpful and good to plan out our day. The lifts were fast, 4 of them and a welcome relief for the oldies too. We started by going to the second as there was Morbid Monarchs on at the cinema. Was surprised when a guy went to the front and started talking to us as I was expecting a film and bit disappointed when I realised it was more a PowerPoint presentation. He needed to speak up and in the last part talk to us, the audience, rather than the screen. Next we had brought sandwiches and glad they had catered for that. They had a picnic on the fourth floor with drinks machines, unfortunately the toilets were out of order so we had to make our way back down the lift to those. Went to a fight demo thing which was fun to see and kept the children entertained and finally back upstairs to the fifth floor for the children to let their hair down in the play area. There does need to be more interaction for people and especially children, not just touch screens for more reading. Maybe more touchy feely stuff, like trying to lift the sword and seeing through the helmet to see what it's like. I suggest if they don't want people to actually touch the weapons using a lab like scenario whereby they can lift weapons through rubber gloves. Highlights lifting the sword to see how heavy it was and cross bow.

    Outside

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    5 years ago

    A mixture of live events plus a variety of exhibitions

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    4 years ago

    A great free museum with a lot of weapons and armours from all ages.

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    12 years ago

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    6 years ago

    I enjoyed my time here, very pleasant experience. Work Christmas party! We all had a amazing evening.

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    12 years ago

    Fantastic event! Learned so much and saw the vampire kit. beautoful

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    Review Highlights - Royal Armouries

    You can see jousting and falconry (though you have to pay for these).

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    Leeds City Museum - Leeds City Museum

    Leeds City Museum

    3.8(13 reviews)
    0.9 miLeeds Civic Quarter, City Centre

    We stayed nearby on a work trip, and I brought the kids here. It was a nice, little museum with a…read moresizeable gift shop. The things on display were fun and interactive. The place smelled old, so that was cool. This place is a little gem, especially for tourists! The staff was nice and accomodating.

    Keeping on with the iconic buildings of Leeds theme that I've got going on, I suddenly realised I'd…read morenot penned (or typed) my thoughts for this fabulous building. Certainly, it's not necessarily a cutting edge piece of architecture, but its structure is actually one of my favourites in Leeds. The huge steps out the front are a great spot to eat you sandwiches, and guaranteed much freer and more picturesque to pause at than the Parkinson steps, and with so many places near by to grab refreshment the location is certainly a handy one. Whilst I've only been around the inner workings a few times it's always been a fun browse. They have a few rotating/changing displays - one of which I remember featuring this 'crazy scientist' type character and all in all it offers a good deal of info-tainment for the kids, as it were. Their other staples, as mentioned in previous reviews, also offer a good afternoon's browsing and is certainly worthwhile whether you're a resident or a visitor. They're not adverse to other events being held in the space either, indeed an opening night to an Irish festival, celebrating the Irish cultural heritage in Leeds, was held in the main room which was fantastic too. If you've not been, you've overlooked another gem of the city!

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    Leeds City Museum - Photo taken from http://www.leeds.gov.uk/cityMuseum/

    Photo taken from http://www.leeds.gov.uk/cityMuseum/

    Leeds City Museum - Aphrodite

    Aphrodite

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    The Thackray Medical Museum - Image taken from the Thackray Medical Museum

    The Thackray Medical Museum

    4.2(12 reviews)
    1.0 mi

    I visited this place when I was 20 (nearly two years ago) and it scared the hell out of me! I'm…read morereally interested in history and medicines but there's something extremely creepy about this old building and the terrors of early medicine and procedures. When I visited, the first section was set out in a walk through street full of disease, smells, loud noises and pretend people who make you jump so much you'd think they were actually real. There's also a theatre where you witness the amputation of a limb without anaesthetic. My friend and I were the only ones in the theatre to watch this and as it's all mechanical, it's pretty damn creepy. There's a fun childrens section explaining the process of how food travels around the body and absolutely cabinets full of medical equipment and written work. I'd definitely advise people to go who like being education whilst having fun and exploring a whole museum full of surprises....

    Educational and fun, what's all that about eh? Set in the grand and absolutely gorgeous former…read moreLeeds workhouse union building, it is the perfect location to house the gory and informative Thackray Medical Museum, partly because of that whole intimidating size and partly because of the possible unknown shenanigans vibe this building gives off. I have no idea why but Clockwork Orange comes to mind. Moving swiftly on, I was a bit naïve on believing that all museums are free these days, so was a bit shocked to find out there's an admission fee of £5. But for entertainment value and value for money factor, it's a price, on reflection to happily pay. The medical museum is fascinating, and once you get beyond the gore, it's truly addictive, especially where children are concerned, well, providing they're not the squeamish whiny types, or yanno, under five. The Having a Baby section seems to be a firm favourite with parents who semi-forcibly push their children, male and female into empathy belly suits to deter them from making them grandparents before their time. There's so much more than empathy bellies, whether it be an interesting step back into Victorian Leeds to sample working life and conditions and how you'd treat a mill workplace injury back in the day, or the gorily named Pain, Pus and Blood exhibition, there's tonnes to look at, and you really do need a good couple of hours to properly explore the museum. Plenty to do and look at, with tactile displays and interactive exhibits, it's educational and honest without being too much for children who are old enough to understand what it all means. Plus as a self confessed big kid, it's educational and fun for everyone who's willing to learn.

    Photos
    The Thackray Medical Museum - Image taken from the Thackray Medical Museum

    Image taken from the Thackray Medical Museum

    The Thackray Medical Museum - Taken from official website

    Taken from official website

    The Thackray Medical Museum - Http://www.thackraymuseum.org/opening-times.html

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    Http://www.thackraymuseum.org/opening-times.html

    Harewood House - Harewood House

    Harewood House

    4.0(19 reviews)
    7.3 mi
    ££

    Huge big English pile from another Era set in magnificent grounds that are well maintained…read more Still I'm at an age where these places hold very little interest for me unless there's something real special or unique such as Highclere Castle and its Egyptian heritage display. As best as I understand it this place is now used for arts, culture, music, food and other activities and accessible to the great unwashed whose ancestors likely paid with their labour so the gentry could live comfortably from the toil of others.

    The first thing I recommend anyone does before they think of visiting Harewood House, is to plan…read moreplan plan your visit. For starters pick your season, there are many; early season, main season and low season. Prices vary for each, in fact they vary massively. In low season adult tickets are £5 but in the high season they inflate to £13, I believe they've just lowered them from the previous rate, but still an eight pound difference depending on your time of year is a hefty one. Also in the early season with the low prices, certain things are not open on the full ticket, like the stately homes, which quite frankly sucks. I see this as a cheat in to forcing people to visit in high season with high prices. But all that unpleasantness aside, Harewood House is the beautiful combination of the spectacular, the picturesque, the decadent and the historical. The many many state rooms are steeped in history and should you care to find out, there is all the information you could require to know. Depending on your season and your ticket you can visit the below the stairs area with servants quarters and kitchen type areas. If it's a beautiful day then the Harewood grounds are well worthy of exploration. 100 Acres of beauty and garden art easily take a chunk of the day away, and it's difficult to fit everything in all on one day. The sculpture garden changes depending on the featured artist, but the works range from the small to the imposing and all are excellent to gawp at in awe and jealousy. The Himalayan Garden is sheer spectacle and beauty with Asian influences visible everywhere. The Terrace is what many have described as breathtaking, and with so many colours and historical restorations it really is. Children seem to go wacky over the penguins and flamingos in the Bird Garden, and maybe it's the sheer shock of penguins wandering around in a stately home that is hard to bend the brain around, but it's all charming and lovely. Speaking of kids and big kids, the adventure playground, when it's open is awesome, and I believe it's been voted the best in Yorkshire, so it's almost certain to be worthy of a dip in. It is a fascinating day out should you be willing to fork out the entry fee. Paying for one isn't too bad, but if there are multiples in your collective, then it can work out expensive. Students can go free on Wednesdays which is a score point, and should be taken advantage of.

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    Harewood House - Taken from official website

    Taken from official website

    Harewood House - Photo taken from www.harewood.org

    Photo taken from www.harewood.org

    Harewood House - Taken from official website

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    Taken from official website

    The Henry Moore Institute

    The Henry Moore Institute

    5.0(2 reviews)
    0.8 miLeeds Civic Quarter, City Centre

    The Henry Moore is a huge square grey marble building right next to the fantastic Light shopping…read morecentre. It is very modern but don't let the cold square exterior put you off. It is very welcoming inside and just like the art gallery right next door it is free. Situated on the headrow, less than 30 seconds from the bus stop and 10 minutes walk from the bus and train stations, this is a very accessible museum of all things sculpture. It does have a great mix of modern and tradtional art in a variety of physical media which is excellent and though no touching is allowed I would still say that this is a good place to bring slightly older and well behaved children with an interest or appreciation for sculpture and design. I enjoyed my visit there and there is a good hour's worth of things to see, so coupled with the art gallery and the little shop there's an afternoon's entertainment for free - which can't be bad. Again the staff here are lovely and very willing to help with any queries you might have. I love this place and I think it's worth anyone's free time- as it's free itself.

    The Henry Moore Institute, named after the great man himself who comes from Yorkshire, is a…read moresculpture gallery located on the Headrow in the centre of Leeds right next door to the Leeds City Art gallery. It is an impressive black marble fronted building and like the Art Gallery is absolutely free to enter. It has a great deal of traditional sculptures in bronze, clay and wood, and lots of modern sculptures too in all manner of mediums - the sky seems to be the limit! Set yourself an hour aside to have a look round, it has disabled and buggy access, and a little cafe too. Absolutely worth a look.

    Abbey House Museum - Photo taken from official site

    Abbey House Museum

    4.3(9 reviews)
    3.7 miKirkstall

    I visited the Abbey House Museum with my family in February. It is located right next to Kirkstall…read moreAbbey so was perfect for a cultural day out with the family. We arrived inside the museum and bought our tickets from the gift shop, the guy serving us was really lovely and extremely helpful. He told us a bit about the history of the museum and what we could expect when we got inside, and everything he told us was spot on. When entering into the museum you can either go upstairs, where they hold different exhibitions, or downstairs to the historically constructed Victorian street. We decided to go back in time first, and it was beautifully designed and felt so real! Some of the houses on the street were actually constructed as exact replicas and made from the same materials as real Victorian houses, which made the experience even more impressive. We spent a good hour and a half downstairs, as there is so much to see and so many hands on things for you to do. One of the shops was a Victorian clothes shops, where kids can try on the different Victorian clothing giving you perfect photo opportunities. There were pottery shops and pawn shops, filled with Victorian artefacts - my parents are antique collectors so for them it was perfect. The staff inside the Victorian street were incredibly informative too, more than happy to explain everything to you, from the way the Victorian street was built into the museum to the actual objects that were on show. Kudos to Abbey House - they definitely train there staff well. From what I can gather the museum has put an awful lot of time and money into redeveloping the space to become more educational and entertaining. When we went there was an exhibition upstairs called 'How Do I Look?', a showcase of the different ways people have changed the way that they look through time. It touched on make up, hairstyles, tattoos and body modification through the ages, and was really interesting for the whole family. I think the exhibition is on till the end of this year so I would definitely recommend it. And with just one admission price for both things it was a really cheap and interesting day out.

    I'm a big fan of Kirkstall Abbey and all the history it holds. Before my most recent visit to the…read moremuseum (to entertain my young cousins), the last time I had been was when I was only a young 'un myself, and a lot has happened since then. They have put a lot of effort into redeveloping the museum to be more educational and more entertaining so that it can be enjoyed by all members of the family, from the elderly historians of the family to the young, easily bored kids. My cousins were pretty impressed with the interactive nature of it, and I myself was pleased with the way it recreated an authentic image of 19th century Leeds. Good day out.

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    Abbey House Museum
    Abbey House Museum
    Abbey House Museum

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    Royal Armouries - museums - Updated May 2026

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