Falconry

Falconry is a hunting partnerships between man and bird. The art is to cast the bird from your wrist into the sky from where it spies its prey, soars to its pitch and swoops down at speeds of up to 120 mph, killing the prey with a knock-out blow from its talons.

It is one of the oldest sports in the world, believed to have originated in China over 4,000 years ago. In the Middle Ages it was a popular sport in Europe and an efficient way for catching small mammals and birds for the table.

The introduction of firearms brought to an end the art of falconry. Guns are more efficient weapons and do not need daily feeding and exercise!


  • From March to the end of October the Royal Armouries offers a unique experience for visitors with daily falconry displays.

  • The Menagerie Court is named after the famous royal menagerie or zoo, which was housed in the Tower of London from the beginning of the 13th century until 1835. See here the birds and horses that you see in the Tiltyard shows close at hand.

Scary Horned Helmet

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Special Operations Executive - A Celebration

As part of its month of remembrance, the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film ‘Carve her Name with Pride’.

22 November

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Did you know?

The whole truth

The phrase "Lock, stock and barrel" refers to something in its entirety, the whole thing – in the same way that a complete gun has a lock, a stock and a barrel.

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