What is it?
London’s hub for everything to do with British military history. Founded in 1960 and originally housed at Sandhurst, the National Army Museum (now in Chelsea, next to the Royal Hospital) was given a fresh lease of life in 2017. The three-year £24m revamp added five new galleries to the venue with 2,500 objects representing five different aspects of military history and life, plus plenty of interactive exhibits to keep the kids engaged.
Each gallery reflects the fact that the history and perception of the British Army is always evolving, shifting and being re-understood. As a graph on display reveals, there are fewer people serving in the regular army today than at any time in the last 200 years, yet its media and public profile has maybe never been higher or more discussed.
Why go?
For a behind-the-scenes glimpse into all the good, the bad and the ugly parts of the British Army’s past and present.
Don’t miss
The Soldier Gallery takes visitors through the physical, mental and emotional impacts of being part of armed combat. It’s a sombering space that includes an injured captain’s torn uniform from the Battle of the Somme, frost-bitten toes from the first all-military exhibition up Mount Everest and the modern prosethetics used to help wounded soldiers.
When to visit
Open daily from 10am-5.30pm.
Ticket info
The National Army Museum and all of its exhibitions are free to visit.
Time Out tip
Younger audience will thrill to the hugely popular Field Base, an immersive play session for kids – some might call it a military soft play. Booking is well advised.