The Royal Artillery Museum’s collection is one of the oldest and most important of all military collections. It is one of only 154 collections awarded Designated status by the Arts Council England scheme, of which just three are Army collections.
The collection was established in 1778 to support Gunner training, later opening to the public at the Rotunda on Woolwich Common (you can read more about the history of the museum here). The artillery collection from the Rotunda was later brought together with the Royal Artillery regimental history collection (which had been displayed separately at the Woolwich barracks), the medal collection, the library and archive, creating the exceptionally large and varied collection that we hold today.
It is unrivalled in its scope, with nearly 1,000 artillery pieces ranging from Medieval cannon to modern self-propelled guns and guided missiles. There are examples of most of the artillery systems that have been used by the Royal Artillery over the last 300 years, as well as artillery from around the world and prototypes, models and test pieces (many of them unique) that show how technology has developed, and nearly 2,000 different pieces of ammunition.
Alongside this are around 11,000 medals, with examples of nearly every type that has been awarded to members of the British Army including more than 20 Victoria Crosses. There are vehicles, communications equipment, instruments, tools, small arms and around 2,000 uniforms. There are nearly 1,000 models (some dating back to the eighteenth century) as well as drawings, paintings and sculptures. The library contains thousands of books on artillery and Regimental history, including many rare volumes, and there are hundreds of thousands of historical documents and photographs in the archive.
You can read more about our collection, some of the items we hold and the stories behind them in the sections below:
