Our collection includes around 800 models, not only of artillery equipment but also a wide range of military machines, field forges, bridges, pontoons, waggons, gyns and even fortifications. Models have been used extensively in Gunner training, and our collection includes pieces that illustrate innovations from the time of William Congreve to the present day. One particularly large set of models was used to demonstrate all of the vehicles and trailers (around 20 in all) required to deploy a single Corporal missile, the Royal Artillery’s first nuclear capable system from the 1950s.
Some models, including some of the finest in the collection, were produced as demonstration or apprentice pieces, while others have been acquired as gifts or presentations. For example, a large set of model artillery pieces and other equipment presented to the Duke of Wellington by the Emperor of Russia in 1834 is particularly distinctive on account of its bright green woodwork.
