Fit for a King Exhibition
When
01 April 2010 -
28 February 2013
See event description
Where
Tower of London
Cost
£14.50-£17.00
Age Restrictions
n/a
The Fit for a King exhibition at Tower of London celebrates 500 years of kings and their armour in a stunning permanent showcase. Located in the White Tower, visitors will be treated to a spectacular display of arms and armour from the Tudors, Stuarts, Hanoverians and Windsors as the Tower of London invites you to journey back in time.
Fit for a King
An exhibition featuring arms and armour from 500 years of battle and sporting outfits, the Fit for a King show charts the changing history of the practical and fashionable side of armour, and notes the decline in hand to hand combat as firearms were introduced to the field of combat.
I'm Henry VIII, I am
Suits of armour created for kings weren't just for combat purposes, although protecting the Monarch from the potential onslaught of battle was a very important thing, they were generally more about status. At the Fit for a King exhibition at Tower of London, you can see stunning examples of kingly armour from Henry VIII's which was engraved with Tudor roses and Aragon pomegranates to celebrate his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, to Charles I's gilt armour which is decorated with foliage and covered with gold leaf.
Skilled craftsmanship
Many of the piece on show at the Tower of London come from the metal workshops built by Henry VIII in Greenwich. But one of the highlights of the Fit for a King exhibition is no doubt the tradtional Japanese armour given to James I in 1610. Truly exquisitely decorated in a traditional style, this would have no doubt been the very first piece of Japanese armour or weaponry seen in Britain. You can also see swords from
Military developments
As the use of firearms began to supercede hand to hand combat on the battlefield, armour developed accordingly with the needs to protect the body and head from different kinds of assault. Lighter armour created for both James I and Charles II is on show at the Fit for a King exhibition, alongwith a pair of highly decorated French pistols from the time of William III, which is around the time that the use of armour was in steady decline.
The Fit for a King exhibition takes place from 9am - 5.30pm Tuesday - Saturday, and 10am - 5.30pm in summer, and from 9am - 4.30pm Tuesday - Saturday, and 10am - 4.30pm Sunday - Monday in winter. Tickets cost £17.00 for adults, £9.50 for under 16s and £14.50 for concessions.
If you would like to book tickets for the Fit for a King exhibition at Tower of London, click on the link below for more information.
Tower of London Official Website
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Other Events at Tower of London
Jun 16, 10.30am-4.30pm
Jun 21, 6.30pm-8pm
Jul 22, 10am
21 July 2012 - 22 July 2012
Dec 27-31, 11.30am-3.30pm
Jun 3-9, 11am-6pm
What's near Tower of London?
Below are the nearest 5 venues within 500 metres of Tower of London.
Cinemas near Tower of London (0)
The Box
11-12 Walkers Court, Brewer Street, Soho, London, W1F 0ED
Luxx
3 New Burlington Street, Mayfair, London, W1S 2JF
Covert
65 Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, London, SE1 7TP
Content updated: 02/06/2012 03:42