London trip- Pattern room or similar visit help

[Brian B]

Good afternoon,

We are doing a family vacation the last week of August and first week of September to London for the first few days and then off to Italy for the remainder of the trip.

I always wanted to see the old Pattern Room but I don't believe that exists or is accessible any longer. I see there is a Royal Armouries Museum and it appears that some of the old Pattern Room collection may be housed there.

On my last trip I toured the Imperial War Museum and The Churchill War Rooms which were spectacular.

Where can I see the old Pattern Room Collection or a portion of what used to be the Pattern Room or am I out of luck?

Any insight or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you,

Brian

[Alan de Enfield]

It has moved to Leeds

About 200 miles and 4 hours (by car) each way from London.

Upcoming Events | Royal Armouries

[Brian B]

It has moved to Leeds

About 200 miles and 4 hours (by car) each way from London.

Upcoming Events | Royal Armouries

Thank you Alan!! That gives me perspective on just how far Leeds is from London. I'll look into options for train travel. I would love to see the collection.

Is the Royal Small Arms Factory worth a visit?

Thank you,

Brian

[Alan de Enfield]

Thank you Alan!! That gives me perspective on just how far Leeds is from London. I'll look into options for train travel. I would love to see the collection.

Is the Royal Small Arms Factory worth a visit?

Thank you,

Brian

Train journey (London to Leeds) is about 2 1/4 hours + taxi at either end.

~09:00 hrs departure is premium communter time and will cost ~ GBP £180 (one way) per person

~11:00 hrs and the cost comes down to ~ GBP £80 (one way)

Train Timetable | Rail.Ninja

You can (apparently) get tickets from GBP £39 but all sorts of conditions and they never seem to actually be available when you try to book them

[Roger Payne]

Hello Brian. I hope you have a great holiday. One thing to add to what Alan has already said is that the PRC was gifted to the Nation & is now stored in purpose converted premises adjacent to the Royal Armouries site. It is no longer known as The Pattern Room Collection, but as The National Firearms Collection. More importantly, although the Royal Armouries is open to the public every day during regular opening hours, the NFC requires a specific appointment to see it. IIRC, & if they have not changed things in the last few years, an appointment slot lasts a couple of hours. But unfortunately you can't just turn up at the RA & expect to see the NFC unless you have prior booked. I'm pretty sure there will be info on how to book via the RA website. You would likely deal with Jonathan Ferguson who is a very helpful & pleasant chap.

[Brian B]

Train journey (London to Leeds) is about 2 1/4 hours + taxi at either end.

~09:00 hrs departure is premium communter time and will cost ~ GBP £180 (one way) per person

~11:00 hrs and the cost comes down to ~ GBP £80 (one way)

Train Timetable | Rail.Ninja

You can (apparently) get tickets from GBP £39 but all sorts of conditions and they never seem to actually be available when you try to book them

Thank you Alan for the additional information. It is most helpful. I did reserve some tickets for the Royal Armouries Museum. I am checking train tickets now to see if I can make it work.

Thank you,

Brian

---------- Post added at 05:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:47 AM ----------

Hello Brian. I hope you have a great holiday. One thing to add to what Alan has already said is that the PRC was gifted to the Nation & is now stored in purpose converted premises adjacent to the Royal Armouries site. It is no longer known as The Pattern Room Collection, but as The National Firearms Collection. More importantly, although the Royal Armouries is open to the public every day during regular opening hours, the NFC requires a specific appointment to see it. IIRC, & if they have not changed things in the last few years, an appointment slot lasts a couple of hours. But unfortunately you can't just turn up at the RA & expect to see the NFC unless you have prior booked. I'm pretty sure there will be info on how to book via the RA website. You would likely deal with Jonathan Ferguson who is a very helpful & pleasant chap.

Thank you Roger for the kind sentiment and for the additional information. I will reach out to see if I can book additional access to the NFC. It would be a shame to go to all the trouble of getting there to only find out that I can't see what I would like to see the most.

Thank you for the help,

Brian

[Flying10uk]

It's not always the easiest thing to find out what the cheapest train ticket options are in the UK for getting from A to B. Tickets booked in advanced are normally cheaper than ones booked on the day but may have more restrictions on them.

You might find it better to fly to Leeds, it all depends on your personal circumstances etc.

[GeeRam]

It's not always the easiest thing to find out what the cheapest train ticket options are in the UK for getting from A to B. Tickets booked in advanced are normally cheaper than ones booked on the day but may have more restrictions on them.

You might find it better to fly to Leeds, it all depends on your personal circumstances etc.

Flying is even more expensive than the train at the moment, probably double the most expensive train ticket, and time wise, only the same duration if going from London City, as the train journey from KX to Leeds is only about the same as the check-in time to boarding time for an internal flight.

---------- Post added at 03:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:01 PM ----------

I will reach out to see if I can book additional access to the NFC. It would be a shame to go to all the trouble of getting there to only find out that I can't see what I would like to see the most.

You'll need to use the enquires email address on the RA website as there is no obvious method of booking or arranging a visit to the NFC on the website.

[55recce]

The National Army Museum and the Wallace collection in London are well worth a visit. Not so impressed with the Imperial War Museum these days.

You can also do the Tank Museum in Bovington and Duxford for aircraft as day trips from London

[GeeRam]

The National Army Museum and the Wallace collection in London are well worth a visit. Not so impressed with the Imperial War Museum these days.

Unfortunately, the main IWM museum site at Lambeth, along with the IWM site at Duxford have become victims of "professional museum staff" appointments that seem to be a world away from those who were charge in the days of yore, like the esteemed Noble Frankland for example.
All very sad, but its the modern way.
The RAF Museum is another example of almost museum vandalism with the changes that have taken place there in the name of modern thinking.