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The Higgins Armoury Museum is set within an Art Deco pseudo-castle. Decked out with tall flags, it can be seen from the nearby highway.
Inside, the Higgins is larger than it appears from the outside and full of myriad pieces of armor and weaponry from all over the world, including much from feudal Japan, Renaissance Europe, and ancient Greece and Rome. There are even pieces for you to try on.
Perhaps the item that most catches visitors' eyes is the model of a dog wearing a suit of 16th-century German doggy armor. Armored dogs were often used to protect caravans.
If the armor doesn't catch your eye, the building will. Made of steel and glass, the uniquely odd architecture is completely different inside and out. While outside it's a cold monolith, inside the Higgins resembles a great hall or church. It was designed and built by John Woodman Higgins, a businessman and owner of the Worcester Pressed Steel Company, in 1927. Obsessed with steel and in love with the history of its craft, Higgins refereed to his museum as "a temple of steelcraft."
In addition to housing a first-rate collection of arms and armor, the Higgins also hosts annual events, such as the Renaissance Fair.
In March of 2013, it was announced the museum would close in December 2013.
