About
Set in a former medieval church at the heart of the ancient market town of Richmond, North Yorkshire, The Green Howards Museum tells the story of one of the most distinguished regiments in British military history across more than three centuries of service. The Green Howards — formally the Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment — were raised in 1688 by Colonel Francis Luttrell as part of William III's expansion of the English army, and went on to serve in virtually every major conflict in which Britain was engaged, from the Wars of the Spanish Succession to the Falklands campaign.
The museum occupies the redundant Holy Trinity Church, a twelfth-century building of atmospheric character whose ancient stone walls now provide a magnificent backdrop for displays of military history. The contrast between medieval ecclesiastical architecture and the modern story of the regiment — its battles, its soldiers, its traditions, and its welfare — gives the museum a distinctive character found nowhere else in the extensive network of British regimental museums.
At the core of the collection are the regiment's battle honours and the personal stories of the men who won them. Twelve Victoria Crosses form the emotional centrepiece of the displays, each medal accompanied by the account of the action for which it was awarded and, where possible, a portrait or personal effects of the recipient. The regiment's VCs span conflicts from the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny through both World Wars and Korea, representing an extraordinary cross-section of courage under the most extreme conditions.
Beyond the medals, the museum holds superb collections of uniforms, weapons, campaign equipment, regimental silver, drums, and standards spanning the full three hundred years of the regiment's existence. Photographic archives, diaries, letters, and oral history recordings bring the human dimension of regimental life — drill, camaraderie, foreign service, homecoming — into vivid focus. Temporary exhibitions regularly expand the museum's thematic range to explore aspects of Yorkshire social history, the experience of women during wartime, and the regiment's connections with the communities it drew its soldiers from.
The Green Howards were amalgamated into the Yorkshire Regiment in 2006, but the museum continues to serve as the living memorial and archive of the regiment's long history, supported by the Green Howards Regimental Museum Trust. Accredited by Arts Council England, the museum occupies a vital place in the cultural heritage of North Yorkshire.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Busiest: Saturday
💡 Weekday mornings
💡 Visitor Tips
- Richmond is a small market town with limited public transport — the most practical way to visit is by car. From the A1(M) take the A6108 west from Scotch Corner (junction 53), a 20-minute drive.
- Allow at least 90 minutes in the museum itself — the VC gallery in particular deserves unhurried attention, and the regimental silver cases repay close examination.
- The building's medieval stone walls make the interior cool even in summer; bring a light layer if you're visiting on a cold day.
- The Stanley Hollis VC story — the only VC awarded on D-Day — is one of the great untold stories of British military history. Ask staff to point you to the full Hollis display in the Second World War gallery.
- Richmond Castle, just a few minutes' walk from the museum, is owned by English Heritage and provides an extraordinary complement to the military themes of the museum — the Norman keep's views over the Swale valley are superb.
- The museum gift shop stocks regimental histories, medals reference books, and a range of Yorkshire-themed items. It is one of the best-stocked shops at any North Yorkshire regimental museum.
- School groups studying First or Second World War history will find the archive-rich displays particularly valuable — object handling sessions can be arranged with advance booking.
- The Georgian Theatre Royal in the town centre — one of the oldest working theatres in England — is worth visiting before or after the museum; evening performances are sometimes available.
Highlights
The Victoria Cross Gallery
Twelve Victoria Crosses won by Green Howards soldiers form the defining display of the museum, arranged with the full citation, a portrait where available, and personal artefacts connected to each recipient. The VCs span the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the First World War, the Second World War, and Korea — a roll call of courage representing one of the highest concentrations of VCs in any single regiment.
Each case tells a complete human story: the circumstances of the action, the soldier's background and fate, and the impact of the award on his family and community.
The Regimental Silver
An exceptional collection of silver plate accumulated by the regiment over three centuries is displayed in the museum's central cases. Campaign trophies, presentation pieces from officers' messes, sporting awards, and ceremonial centrepieces span the Georgian through to the modern era, providing a glittering material record of regimental tradition.
Many pieces bear inscriptions recording the occasions of their presentation — battle commemorations, retirements, colonial service — and together they trace the regiment's movements from continental Europe to India, Egypt, South Africa, and beyond.
The silver is one of the most complete regimental table silver collections to survive in British museum custody.
First World War Displays
The Great War transformed the Green Howards from a regular regiment into a mass military force, raising over thirty battalions and sustaining enormous casualties on the Western Front, in Gallipoli, Palestine, and Salonika. The museum's First World War displays weave personal testimony — diaries, letters, and photographs from the regimental archives — into a comprehensive account of the regiment's service.
Uniforms, personal equipment, and trench art complement the documentary record, while the battle maps and photographs of wartime France and Flanders show the landscape in which the men fought.
The total roll of honour is soberly displayed as a reminder of the cost of the conflict.
Crimean War and Victorian Campaigns
The Green Howards' Victorian service is commemorated with a display of campaign medals, weapons, and uniforms from the Crimean War (1854–1856) and the various colonial campaigns of the high imperial era — including service in India, Egypt, and South Africa. A privately purchased Minié rifle dating from the Crimean campaign is among the most evocative objects in the collection, alongside a set of campaign medals with original ribbons and an officer's full dress uniform of the period.
The display places the regiment within the broader context of Victorian Britain's expansionist military commitments and the social worlds that produced its soldiers.
Collections
The Green Howards Museum holds one of the most comprehensive regimental collections in northern England, spanning the full period from the regiment's raising in 1688 to its amalgamation into the Yorkshire Regiment in 2006. The collection encompasses twelve Victoria Crosses with associated citations and personal effects; an outstanding collection of campaign medals and gallantry awards covering every major conflict from the Crimean War to the Falklands; uniforms from the eighteenth century to the modern era; weapons including firearms, edged weapons, and captured trophies; the regimental silver — one of the most complete table silver collections surviving in a British regimental museum; historic Colours and standards; drums and musical instruments; extensive photographic and film archives; diaries, letters, and personal documents from soldiers and officers; and an oral history archive recording the testimonies of twentieth-century veterans.
Three Centuries of Service
The principal permanent exhibition traces the history of the Green Howards from their founding in 1688 through to amalgamation in 2006. Organised chronologically, the display covers each major period of service through medals, weapons, uniforms, regimental silver, and personal testimony. The exhibition takes visitors from the regiment's formation during the Glorious Revolution, through the great eighteenth-century European campaigns, the Napoleonic Wars, Victorian colonial service, both World Wars, and the post-1945 era of decolonisation and Cold War soldiering.
📍 Main Gallery
Courage Under Fire: The Victoria Cross Collection
A dedicated display presents all twelve VCs won by Green Howards soldiers, each presented with the official citation, personal effects, and contextual material describing the action. The cases are arranged chronologically from the Crimea to Korea, allowing visitors to trace how the nature of infantry combat — and the demands it placed on individual soldiers — changed across nearly a century of warfare.
📍 VC Hall, Main Gallery
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.