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All the United Kingdom England London The Wallace Collection Armory
AO Edited

The Wallace Collection Armory

An eccentric Victorian aristocrat's enormous collection of medieval armor and weapons from around the world.

London, England

Added By
Mictlān Tēcutli
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Mounted knight in gold trim armour with war hammer   quinet/CC BY 2.0
Jousting armour with helmets and rapiers   quinet/CC BY 2.0
A strange bird headed knights helmet   quinet/CC BY 2.0
Ottoman scimitar swords   quinet/CC BY 2.0
Longswords   quinet/CC BY 2.0
German long sword, armour, helmets and war hammers   quinet/CC BY 2.0
Ottoman long pistols   quinet/CC BY 2.0
Closeup of horse armour   quinet/CC BY 2.0
Italian gilden armour   quinet/CC BY 2.0
A bizarre reptilian knights helmet vizor   quinet/CC BY 2.0
Persian medieval armour   quinet/CC BY 2.0
  quinet/CC BY 2.0
Indian Mughal helmets and scimitar sword   quinet/CC BY 2.0
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  Snowdrop68 / Atlas Obscura User
  LordRivers / Atlas Obscura User
  LordRivers / Atlas Obscura User
  LordRivers / Atlas Obscura User
  LordRivers / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In the heart of London there is a weapons and armor collection, the work of two eccentric Victorian aristocrats. The collection is housed inside the Herford House, a grand 18th-century townhouse.

The Fourth Marquess of Hertford began the collection in the 19th century. The Marquess was an obsessive collector of Asian and European medieval weaponry. After his death in 1870, his illegitimate and equally eccentric son, Sir Richard Wallace, inherited and expanded the collection.

Wallace attended auctions and made trips to France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, and Eastern Europe to expand the armor and weapon collection. Along with medieval European armor, Wallace collected armor from Mughal India, the Ottoman empire, medieval Persia and Arabia, and feudal Japan. 

When Wallace died in 1897, his widow donated the family's collection, including the enormous armory, to the nation of Great Britain and the building eventually became a museum open to the public in 1900.

 

Related Tags

Museums And Collections Collections Victorian Medieval Armor Weapons

Know Before You Go

The Wallace Collection is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. There is no admittance fee.

Be sure to check in advance for scheduled lectures and tours of the armory.

Community Contributors

Added By

Monsieur Mictlan

Edited By

SEANETTA, LordRivers, Snowdrop68

  • SEANETTA
  • LordRivers
  • Snowdrop68

Published

November 12, 2021

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  • https://www.wallacecollection.org/art/collection/history-collection/
The Wallace Collection Armory
Manchester Square
London, England, W1U 3BN
United Kingdom
51.517272, -0.153019
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