We are delighted to announce our next upcoming Heritage Open Days at our Wood Road stores in Larkhill. Tours and talks will take place at 10am and 2pm on Thursday 17, Friday 18, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September 2026.
Visitors will have a rare opportunity to step behind the scenes through a series of pre-booked guided talks and tours.
Our guided tours will take you behind the scenes at our Wood Road stores where you can explore unique and fascinating artefacts from our small objects store including our incredible collection of field guns from the 17th century to modern day, the latest projects in our conservation workshop and the story of our museum.
The dedicated talks will be presented by Museum Staff, highlighting elements of the collection and delving into the history and use of them.
The Royal Artillery Museum’s collection was established in 1778 for training purposes and is one of the oldest and most significant of all military collections. It opened to the public in 1820 at the Rotunda on Woolwich Common and moved to the Firepower Museum in 2001. Firepower closed in 2016, pending the creation of a new museum near Larkhill, the modern home of the Royal Artillery. That project is ongoing, and for the time being, most of the collection remains in various storage locations.
This year, we are also having dedicated talks in addition to our guided tours:
- Thursday 17 September: 'The Gunners behind the Guns' - Have a tour of a selection of our guns, then listen to our archive team tell the stories of some of the real Gunners who served with them.
- Friday 18 September: 'Small Arms, Big Impact' - Learn about the personal weapons in our collection and have a chance to get 'hands-on' with a selection of guns.
- Saturday 19 September: Guided Tour of our Small Object Store
- Sunday 20 September: Guided Tour of our Small Object Store
To find out more information and to book your FREE tickets here
Places are strictly limited and booking is essential.