Photo: londondrum.comUseful things to know before your visit
Address: National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea SW3 4HT. Telephone: 0207 730 0717. Website: nam.ac.uk
How much do the tickets cost?
The National Army Museum is free, but temporary exhibitions might cost extra.
What are the opening hours?
Opening times are 10am to 5.30pm (Tue-Sun).
How much time do you need?
A typical visit to the National Army Museum takes 2 hours.
Which buses go to the National Army Museum?
Bus routes 11, 19, 22, 137, 170, 211, 319, 360 and C1 all stop close by.
Which is the closest train station?
The nearest station is Sloane Square, which connects with the Circle and District lines. You can walk the ½ mile to the National Army Museum in about 9 minutes.
Which other attractions are nearby?
Here are four attractions within 15 minutes walk of the National Army Museum: Royal Hospital, Chelsea Physic Garden, Saatchi Gallery and Battersea Park Children’s Zoo.
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Email My review of the National Army Museum
Britain has always been good at fighting wars. The reason we’re so handy at it is because we’ve been practising, practising, practising for a thousand years, and that’s why we have so many military museums in London: the Imperial War Museum, Guards’ Museum, Household Cavalry Museum, HMS Belfast, RAF Museum, Churchill War Rooms, and this place. But the National Army Museum is different to the others because it focuses much more on the soldiers themselves.
Photo: londondrum.com
Photo: londondrum.comThe Soldier Gallery
There are lots of TV screens in the Soldier Gallery running interviews with ordinary infantrymen and high-ranking officers, explaining what life is really like in the army.
It begins with the medical which sounds like torture to me, then the physical training (more torture), weapons training (more torture), daily drill (more torture), and finally what life is like during combat, which doesn’t sound too bad in comparison… until you salvage someone’s shoes and find their feet still inside them, or find your friend’s headless torso propped up in a trench (I’m not making any of this up). They certainly don’t shy away from the trauma of war.
Photo: londondrum.comThat’s the weird thing about this museum: half of the exhibits are patriotic posters trying to sign you up and the other half are doing their darnedest to put you off.
The Conflict in Europe Gallery
The Conflict in Europe Gallery is a bit more interesting because it explores famous fights from the English Civil War up to the present day.
Photo: londondrum.comPick of the bunch is a big diorama of Waterloo where you can swivel some touchscreens around the battlefield to learn about the locations while all the cannon cracks and bangs of the battle are blasting off around you. An accompanying cabinet has a lock of Wellington’s hair, his battered hat and gloves, and the skeleton of Napoleon’s horse.
Photo: londondrum.com
Other displays cover the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Crimean War, Boer War and World Wars I and II. Then it moves onto the Cold War, Falklands and peacekeeping missions in the Balkans.
The Army at Home Gallery
The Army at Home Gallery covers domestic uprisings, the Irish rebellions and Scottish conflicts. There’s also a section on the army’s ceremonial duties in London.
Photo: londondrum.comSo if you want to hear from the soldiers themselves and see their uniforms, medals and every kind of weapon from Zulu shields to Mughal blades then this place is great – they’ve got a wide variety from the 17th-century up to the present day, from the English Civil War right through to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. But if you want Sherman tanks and Spitfires then you’re better off going to the Imperial War Museum or RAF Museum.
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What do you think? (4)
Ask a question, or share your experience of the National Army Museum
Mike Which one is better to visit, the National Army Museum or Imperial War Museum (or another one)? (reply)
Craig Hi Mike. I think this place is better if you’re interested in the soldiers themselves, and what it’s like to actually be a soldier in the army, whereas the Imperial War Museum is better for the big vehicles and battles. But if it’s World War II you’re interested in then I would go to the Churchill War Rooms instead. (reply)
Naomi Hi, is it free to enter? (2 adults and a 5-year old). (reply)
Craig Hi Naomi. Yes, it’s free. But they sometimes have a temporary exhibition on the go which you might have to pay for. (reply)
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