On the 26th January 2023 we visited Royal Armouries Museum, as a Whitworth Men’s Shed Day Trip as part of the Whitworth Men’s Shed Wellbeing Sessions, funded by the CCG grant fund 2022/2023 that we were lucky to receive.
Nine of us made the trip across the Pennines to Leeds on a Thursday morning. Thanks to the funding that we received we were able to hire our own minibus.
The museum was opened in 1996 and the area around the museum and the museum itself has a definite modern feel. We received a warm welcome once we entered. Thankfully we’d booked tickets earlier for the visit
Once inside we were all really impressed with the layout of the museum. The Cafe was of a particular interest as we came in, and some of the men, settled down to a well deserved brew before embarking on the delights of the museum.
For those of you not aware of the remit of the museum it is how arms and armour have shaped society, art and culture throughout history. So the collection is extensive. John one of our members and who can be seen in the picture. Said ‘it was a great place to visit, but there is so much to see, that you will need more time.’
The museum also puts on displays, talks and re-enactments. Many of us caught a fighting duel between a Saxon and a Norman. The fighters would stop to show us how each weapon could be used. It was really entertaining.
Later on there was a talk about rifle’s and guns that were used in what is commonly known as The Wild West, the era depicted in many a Cowboy film. Again the talk was excellently presented. There was also the opportunity at the end of the talk for us all to handle the weapons. I was surprised how heavy they were. The expert also pointed out that they wouldn’t have had the greatest accuracy.
All in all a really great day out.
