English Tourism Week: Inside Leeds' Royal Armouries Museum that welcomes more than 300k visitors each year

Ahead of English Tourism Week - which begins tomorrow (March 14) - we explored the famous Royal Armouries Museum at Leeds Dock.

Welcoming more than 300,000 visitors each year, it is one of the most popular and unique visitor attractions in the country.

The Royal Armouries in Leeds.placeholder image
The Royal Armouries in Leeds. | Simon Hulme

Florence Symington, the museum’s director of brand and audiences, said: “The Royal Armouries presents an absolutely fantastic day out for families, couples and everyone. It is completely free, and every single day you can experience not only our amazing collection of arms and armour, but also our programme of daily activities.

“Everything in our collection has been held, used and designed by people, so we really wanted to bring that to life.”

She continued: “Arms and armour can be a tricky subject. We are about conflict - but we’re also about peace and the history of our nation.”

In 1996, HM Queen Elizabeth II opened the museum. And ever since then, living history officer Andy Deane has enjoyed welcoming the crowds.

He said: “When I look around the museum, it has so many memories. The best jousters from around the world come to the Royal Armouries - it’s the seen as the pinnacle of the sport. I’m very proud to be part of it.”

You can find out more by watching the video from Local TV at the top of this page.

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