About
The Fusilier Museum London, located within the Tower of London, tells the remarkable story of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) and their successors the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers from 1685 to the present day. Founded as the Ordnance Regiment in 1685 to guard the Tower's arsenal, the Royal Fusiliers were among the first British soldiers to be armed with the fusil — a lightweight flintlock musket — giving the regiment its distinctive name.
The museum's collection spans over three centuries of military service, from the regiment's earliest campaigns in Flanders and Ireland through the Napoleonic Wars, the Crimea, both World Wars, and modern operations in Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Among its most prized possessions are twelve Victoria Crosses awarded to members of the regiment, making it one of the most decorated in British military history. Each medal represents an extraordinary act of bravery, and the museum presents their stories with personal accounts, photographs, and associated artefacts.
Displays include uniforms, weapons, equipment, medals, personal letters, diaries, and photographs that bring to life the experiences of ordinary soldiers alongside accounts of famous battles. The First World War galleries document the regiment's devastating losses on the Western Front, including the Somme and Passchendaele, while Second World War displays cover campaigns in North Africa, Italy, and Northwest Europe. Personal objects — a soldier's last letter home, a bullet-damaged Bible, a hand-drawn trench map — create intimate connections between visitors and the individuals who served.
The museum occupies historic rooms within the Tower of London, providing an atmospheric setting that connects the regiment's origins as Tower guardians to its centuries of global service. The collection also explores the 1968 amalgamation that created the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers from the Royal Fusiliers and three other fusilier regiments. Admission requires a Tower of London ticket.
Categories:
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Visit in the afternoon when most Tower visitors are focused on the Crown Jewels and White Tower. Weekday afternoons during term time are quietest.
💡 Visitor Tips
- The Fusilier Museum is included in your Tower of London ticket — no separate charge. It's easily missed by visitors focused on the Crown Jewels and White Tower, making it one of the Tower's quieter attractions.
- Military history enthusiasts should allow at least 60 minutes for a thorough visit. The twelve Victoria Crosses alone deserve careful attention, each with an extraordinary story of courage.
- The museum provides excellent context for understanding the Tower's military function beyond its role as palace and prison. The regiment was literally founded to guard the Tower's arsenal.
- Visit in the afternoon when most Tower visitors have moved on to other attractions. You'll often have the galleries largely to yourself, allowing quiet contemplation of the personal stories.
- Combine with the Royal Armouries displays in the White Tower for a comprehensive military history experience within the Tower of London complex.
- Personal photography is allowed (no flash) — the medal displays and uniform collections are particularly photogenic for military history enthusiasts.
- The museum occasionally hosts special events and talks related to regimental history — check the website before your visit for any scheduled activities.
- If you have family connections to the Royal Fusiliers or Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, contact the museum in advance as they may have relevant records in their archive.
Highlights
Victoria Cross Collection
Twelve Victoria Crosses awarded to members of the Royal Fusiliers and Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, representing extraordinary acts of bravery from the Crimean War to the First World War. Each medal is displayed with the personal story of its recipient, including Private Thomas Young VC who won his cross at the Battle of the Alma in 1854, and the remarkable concentration of VCs won during the First World War's horrific battles.
The Victoria Cross, instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856, is the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, and the regiment's twelve crosses reflect the extraordinary courage demanded in some of the most ferocious battles in British military history.
Personal letters, photographs, and associated artefacts bring each recipient to vivid life.
Regimental Origins: 1685
The founding story of the regiment in 1685 when it was raised as the Ordnance Regiment to guard the Tower of London's vast arsenal of weapons and gunpowder. Unlike other infantry who carried matchlock muskets with slow-burning fuses, the Ordnance Regiment was armed with the fusil — a lighter, more reliable flintlock musket that could be safely carried near stored gunpowder.
This practical innovation gave the regiment its name: Fusiliers.
Displays include early weapons, uniforms, and documents tracing the regiment's evolution from Tower guards to one of the most celebrated infantry regiments in the British Army. The museum's location within the Tower itself provides an authentic connection to the regiment's origins.
First World War Galleries
Powerful displays documenting the regiment's devastating service on the Western Front during 1914-1918, including the battles of the Somme, Ypres, Passchendaele, and the Hundred Days Offensive. The Royal Fusiliers raised over 40 service battalions during the war, and the museum's collection of personal letters, diaries, photographs, trench art, and equipment reveals both the horror and the human resilience of trench warfare.
Artefacts include items recovered from battlefields, personal effects of soldiers killed in action, and poignant farewell letters.
The sheer scale of the regiment's losses — thousands killed across four years of industrialised warfare — is presented with dignity and emotional power, connecting individual stories to the broader catastrophe.
Second World War Campaign Displays
Comprehensive coverage of the Royal Fusiliers' service across multiple theatres of the Second World War, from the deserts of North Africa through the Italian campaign to the liberation of Northwest Europe. Displays include uniforms, weapons, maps, personal accounts, and photographs documenting the regiment's role in major engagements including El Alamein, Monte Cassino, Anzio, and the advance through Germany.
The collection captures the diverse conditions soldiers experienced — from desert heat to Italian mountains to European winter — through personal equipment, clothing, and the small comforts soldiers carried.
Maps and operational documents show the tactical reality behind the personal stories.
Collections
The Fusilier Museum London holds the regimental collection of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, spanning from 1685 to the present day. The collection includes twelve Victoria Crosses, extensive campaign medal groups, uniforms from the 17th century to modern combat dress, weapons and equipment from every era of the regiment's service, personal letters, diaries, photographs, trench art, and regimental silver.
Particular strengths include First World War material documenting the Western Front experience, colonial campaign artefacts, and the founding history connecting the regiment to the Tower of London.
The archive holds thousands of documents, photographs, and oral history recordings preserving individual soldiers' stories across three centuries of service.
Origins: The Tower Regiment
The founding of the regiment in 1685 as Tower guards armed with the fusil, and early campaigns in Flanders and Ireland. Includes early weapons, uniforms, and documents.
📍 Introductory Gallery
Empire and Honour
The regiment's service across the British Empire from the 18th to early 20th centuries, covering the Napoleonic Wars, Crimea, India, Africa, and twelve Victoria Crosses.
📍 Main Gallery
The Great War
First World War galleries documenting the regiment's devastating Western Front service, with personal stories, artefacts, and accounts from the Somme, Ypres, and Passchendaele.
📍 Main Gallery
World War to Modern Day
Second World War campaigns through North Africa, Italy, and Europe, the 1968 amalgamation creating the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and modern operations to the present.
📍 End Gallery
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.