The Royal Artillery Museum is inviting visitors to go behind the scenes during Heritage Open Days events. Picture: The Royal Artillery Museum

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Royal Artillery Museum opens its doors for Heritage Open Days 2026

Jamie JonesSeptember 11, 20260 Comment0

THE Royal Artillery Museum will be giving visitors a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes during a series of events as part of the national Heritage Open Days initiative.

From Thursday to Sunday, September 17 to 20, the museum will open its Wood Road stores in Larkhill for a series of free, pre-booked tours and talks, giving visitors the chance to parts of its internationally-significant collection not normally open to the public.

Running at 10am and 2pm each day, the programme includes guided tours of the museum’s stores, as well as two special themed events exploring different aspects of the collection and the stories of the people connected with it.

On September 17, The Gunners behind the Guns will combine a tour of a selection of historic guns with stories from the museum’s archive team about some of the Gunners who served with them.

The following day, Small Arms, Big Impact will explore the personal weapons held in the museum’s collection, with visitors also having the opportunity to get hands-on with a selection of historic firearms.

And on Saturday and Sunday, September 10 and 20, guided tours of the museum’s Small Object Store will take place, giving visitors the chance to discover some of the fascinating objects held within the wider collection.

Visitors to Wood Road will also have the chance to see the museum’s collection of field guns, discover the latest projects being undertaken in its conservation workshop and learn more about the history of the institution and its collection.

The Royal Artillery Museum

The Royal Artillery Museum’s collection dates back to 1778, when it was established as a training resource, making it one of the oldest and most significant military collections in the world.

It first opened to the public in 1820 at the Rotunda on Woolwich Common and later moved to the Firepower Museum in 2001.

Firepower closed in 2016 ahead of plans to create a new Royal Artillery Museum near Larkhill, the modern home of the Royal Artillery.

Work on the new museum is continuing, with most of the collection remaining in storage and not normally accessible to the public.

Royal Artillery Museum manager, Martin Harvey, said: “Heritage Open Days are a fantastic opportunity for us to welcome people behind the scenes and share some of the extraordinary objects and stories within our collection.

“This year we’re particularly pleased to be able to offer our dedicated talks alongside the store tours, giving visitors different ways to explore the collection and discover more about the Gunners whose stories form such an important part of our history.

“With much of our collection not currently on public display, these open days offer a rare chance to see what we look after here at Larkhill and to meet some of the team caring for and researching the collection.”

Tickets for the Heritage Open Days events are free, but places are limited and advance booking is essential.

For more information and to book, visit the Royal Artillery Museum website.