The LINE of Kings

Celebrating exquisite craftsmanship of royal armours and British made razors.

Forged in partnership with the Royal Armouries, Wilde & Harte present an Eltham razor collection inspired by the grand armours of English kings.

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Line of Kings - Tower of London

A cutting edge attraction

From the reign of Henry VIII onwards, distinguished foreign dignitaries were invited to visit the Tower of London to inspect the royal armoury. First created in the second half of the 17th century – the ‘Line of Kings’ exhibition has a history spanning over 350 years.

Henry VIII’s court armoury

Henry wanted his armour workshops at Greenwich to set a new standard for craftmanship. He employed the most skilful armourers from Italy and Germany and sought to create beautifully crafted armours that surpassed those of his European rivals.

King Henry VIII of England
suit of armour from the royal armouries

By 1520, the Greenwich armourers were putting the finishing touches to Henry VIII’s Foot Combat armour. It was a triumph. The armour was an outstanding example of cutting edge technology that matched, if not bettered, anything in Europe. The great era of English-styled armours had begun.

Henry VIII’s Foot Combat armour was so extraordinary in fact, that over 400 years later it provided inspiration for NASA spacesuit designs.

20th century NASA spacesuit designs

made in Britain

MADE IN BRITAIN

An initiative endorsed by the British Government supporting British manufacturers.

Royal Armouries

ROYAL ARMOURIES

National collection of arms and armour dating back to the 16th century.