The Royal Armouries
The Royal Armouries at Leeds is one of my favourite places to visit and now that entry is free I felt that I had to add a page to Round & About Rotherham. I don't suppose that Leeds is stretching 'round and about' any more than Chatsworth. Getting there is easy - head your car north on the M1/M621 exits 3 or 4. There is a private car park nearby and charges apply (September 2004 about £4 which is reasonable enough for Leeds).
Trains are every hour from Rotherham Station and it takes about an hour to get to Leeds via a dozen stops en route. There used to be an infrequent bus service but you'd better check details of this with South Yorkshire Passenger Transport. The Royal Armouries are about a fifteen minute walk from the train and bus stations on the south side of the River Aire not far from Tetley's Brewery.
There are five galleries, interpretive exhibitions and interactive exhibits. (The Pedant, playing the Italian side, trounced the French at the Battle of Pavia in a few easy moves, but them he had the advantage of knowing that the artillery won the day before he started.) There are interesting displays of armour and weaponry, details of battles, memories and recollections. There is a library with a large collection of resources available free of charge to the public. There are regular special events, adult days. kids days, lectures, talks and tours. There may be charges for special events.
Believe me there is a lot to see and do, it can take all day and I for one was exhausted, and that was just walking round for five or six hours. I went in the days when you still had to pay and being Yorkshire, was quite determined to get full value for money. We went again September 2004 as it is free, and yes I was exhausted again. If you are not exhausted there are interesting walks along the quayside and I think you can visit Tetley's Brewery so you can make a full day out.
Open every day 10am - 5pm. They are a bit sniffy letting you in after about 4 o'clock in case you linger after closing time. There's a bistro and coffee shop in case you get tired, and the usual Gifte Shoppe.