Royal Armouries Museum The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds , West Yorkshire , England , is a national museum which displays the National Collection of Arms and Armour . It is part of the Royal Armouries family of museums , the other sites being the Tower of London , its traditional home , Fort Nelson , Hampshire , for the display of its National Collection of Artillery , and permanent galleries within the Frazier History Museum in Louisville , Kentucky , USA . The Royal Armouries is a non - departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture , Media and Sport . The Royal Armouries Museum is a £42 . 5 million purpose built museum located in Clarence Dock that opened in 1996 . Its collection was previously on display or in storage at the Tower of London where the Royal Armouries still maintains a presence and displays in the White Tower . As at all UK National Museums , entry is free , though certain extra attractions are charged for . Until recently the Museum used live presentations in addition to the static displays to explain the collection . Due to a reorganisation of the Museum in 2010 / 11 , prompted by funding cuts , the interpretation department closed on 31 March 2011 . Construction . The museum is housed in a new building designed by Derek Walker and Buro Happold and built by Alfred McAlpine . Location . Situated close to the city centre on the bank of the River Aire the museum is among many buildings built in the same era that saw a rejuvenation of the Leeds waterfront . It is located on Armouries Square , in Clarence Dock . Road access is by Armouries Drive and Chadwick Street . Features . Main building . The Royal Armouries Museum itself was designed from the inside out . The redisplay of the collections in a thematic structure and the identity , size and basic story - lines of the new galleries were all created as part of Strategy 2000 . The design for the new building took those spaces , together with the study collections , conservation workshops and library as the basis of its overall layout . The ceiling heights of the new building were designed to accommodate the longest staff weapons in the collections , displayed vertically , and the principal lift to move the largest object . In addition to the five original galleries which house 5 , 000 objects in the permanent displays and the more recent Peace Gallery , the museum also includes the Hall of Steel , a giant staircase whose walls are decorated with trophy displays composed of 2 , 500 objects reminiscent of the historical trophy displays erected by the Tower Armouries from the 17th century . The Museum is five floors in height with four of the galleries arranged over two floors . Access to the first four floors can be gained from all the lifts . Access to the fifth floor is only possible from the designated red lift . All lifts are located in the reception area , The main entrance to the Museum is accessed from Armouries Square . War . With displays dedicated to : Peace - farewell to arms ? This gallery can be found within the War Gallery and looks at the potential for a future free of arms , looking at disarmament and concepts such as détente . This gallery is in partnership with the Peace Museum in nearby Bradford . Hunting . This gallery deals with the potentially contentious subject of hunting with displays dedicated to : Oriental . A gallery with displays dedicated to : Tournament . A large gallery on two floors showing a variety of arms and armour from the days of jousting . Self defence . This gallery has a number of different displays dedicated to : Arena . Running alongside the River Aire for 150 metres , with seating on the land - ward side , is the Arena . Here , weather permitting , exhibitions of military and sporting skill at arms , including jousting are hosted . Though the Museum no longer has its own horses , two important jousting contests each year are still held with competitors from all over the world . Easter is the height of the Jousting calendar when the Arena hosts a four day international competition between up to four jousting teams . The four teams compete from Good Friday to Easter Sunday against each other with the tournament final on Easter Monday . The winning team is awarded the Sword of Honour at the end of the competition . Summer sees the Jousting season close with the last tournament of the year , an individual joust with jousters from all over the world competing for the H . M . Queen ' s Golden Jubilee Trophy . Flags . The flags flown by the canal at the Royal Armouries are the : Funding cuts . In March 2011 , following a 15 % reduction in the Royal Armouries ' s funding , seventeen members of staff " including all of the museum ’ s expert horse riders , professional actors and stable staff " lost their jobs . In popular culture . The museum is mentioned in the Kaiser Chiefs song " Team Mate " , from the bands début album , " Employment " .