Royal Armouries

The sequence here shows Andy Deane and David Perry from the Royal Armouries Interpretation team demonstrating an armoured foot-combat display using pollaxes. Shot at the Royal Armouries’ Tournament Gallery in Leeds.

The sequence here shows a MK.I Vickers centrefire automatic machine gun being fired. Sequence shot at the National Firearms Centre in Leeds.

The sequence here shows Royal Armouries’ Keeper of Firearms Jonathan Ferguson firing a gold-plated Sterling MK.4 centrefire automatic military submachine gun. Sequence shot at the National Firearms Centre in Leeds.

The sequence here shows Royal Armouries’ Keeper of Firearms Jonathan Ferguson firing a Sten MK II centrefire automatic submachine gun. Sequence shot at the National Firearms Centre in Leeds.

The sequence here shows Royal Armouries’ Keeper of Firearms Jonathan Ferguson firing a Luger P.08 centrefire self-loading pistol. Sequence shot at the National Firearms Centre in Leeds.

Royal Armouries Manuscript I.33 is the oldest-known manual of swordsmanship in the Western canon. The sequence here shows Keith Ducklin and Mike Broadley of the Royal Armouries Interpretation team enacting scenes from the manuscript.

The Royal Armouries is Britain's oldest museum, still partly housed in its original buildings in the Tower of London. The core of the collection is the medieval arsenal that was restocked by Henry VIII and on show to privileged visitors as early as the reign of Elizabeth I. After 1660, the general public was admitted and a series of spectacular exhibits was set up, one of which included instruments of torture and punishment. Since that time, they have been one of the Tower's prime attractions, enhanced by the macabre stories that surround them. This fascinating book sets these instruments of torture and punishment in their proper context and explores whether the Tower deserves its grim reputation.