Royal Artillery Museum

About the museum

The Royal Artillery Museum holds one of the oldest military collections in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1778 for training purposes and first opened to the public in 1820 at the Rotunda on Woolwich Common. In 2001 it moved to the nearby Firepower museum in Woolwich, which closed in 2016.

Since then the collection has been kept in several storage locations while the museum works toward a new building. The Royal Artillery is now based at Larkhill in Wiltshire, where more than half of the serving regiment, the regimental headquarters and the Royal School of Artillery are located, and the plan is to create a new museum nearby. The project has received initial support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, announced in March 2026.

The collection spans more than 600 years of artillery development and three centuries of Royal Artillery history, including some 2,500 tonnes of artillery, around 11,000 medals, about 2,000 uniforms and more than 100,000 documents. It covers weapons from medieval cannon to guided missiles.

In the meantime the museum operates from interim premises at Wood Road, Larkhill, housed in what are described as the oldest surviving aircraft hangars in Europe. Visitors can see twenty historic field guns dating from the seventeenth century to the start of the Second World War, together with items from the small objects store and the conservation workshop. The stores are not open daily: access is through pre-booked group and school visits and a small number of free open-day tours each year. The archive can be consulted by appointment.

Highlights

• Twenty historic field guns from the 17th century to the Second World War
• Visits in some of Europe's oldest surviving aircraft hangars
• Behind-the-scenes look at the small objects store and conservation workshop
• Collection begun in 1778 and one of the UK's most important military collections
• Free open-day tours several times a year

Permanent exhibition

• Behind-the-scenes tour of the Wood Road stores – A guided tour of the small objects store, around twenty historic field guns, the conservation workshop and a presentation on the museum's past and future plans.

Founded

1820

Operated by

Royal Artillery Museum (registered charity)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Open-day tours are free of charge but must be booked in advance. Group and school visits carry no charge, though donations are welcome.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The buildings date from 1910 and have no accessible toilets. Wheelchair users can be accommodated on tours, but there is a slope at the entrance to the buildings; further details are available from the museum.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The stores are at Hangar 455, Wood Road, Larkhill, Salisbury SP4 8QH.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available

There are no refreshment facilities.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit