Royal Armouries picks BDP for £100m Waterfront Development at Leeds Dock

The Royal Armouries has appointed BDP as architect for its £100m Waterfront Development at Leeds Dock, taking the scheme into detailed design ahead of a planning application in 2027.

BDP said it won the brief through a competitive process involving a number of UK architectural practices, having already worked on the project's initial masterplanning phases.

The development will be centred on a new 3,500 square metre commercial exhibition and events hall. According to BDP, the scheme will more than double the museum's existing facilities to create over 8,000 sq m of conference and events space, and will also provide a purpose-built home for immersive experiences next to the museum.

Nat Edwards, director general of the Royal Armouries Museum, said: "Finding the right design partner for this project is a crucial step forward towards delivering a development that's going to help transform the South Bank of Leeds and bring new jobs and new opportunities for a lot of people."

Edwards said of BDP's team: "From experts in designing for horses to people with a deep understanding of storytelling within public spaces, they showed an appreciation and affection for the place that complemented our own."

The site

The new building will go up on the current Tiltyard site, home to the museum's outdoor jousting arena. BDP said the existing conferencing facilities, the museum and New Dock Hall will all stay open throughout the redevelopment.

The plans, which BDP described later in its release as £100m-plus, are in the final stages of options appraisal. A planning application is to be submitted to the local authority in 2027.

Vicky Casey, architect director and head of BDP's Leeds studio, said the brief gave the practice "an opportunity to create a new destination on the waterfront". BDP describes itself as a multidisciplinary design practice for the built environment with 19 studios worldwide.

Armouries 700

The Tiltyard new build is part of Armouries 700, which the Royal Armouries describes as a 10-year plan to refurbish and redevelop its Leeds Dock museum. The programme comprises 10 separate projects within the existing building, landscaping around Leeds Dock and the new build on the Tiltyard. Placemaking around Leeds Dock and Armouries Square is intended to create greener civic spaces, the museum said.

The appointment follows the museum's purchase of the freehold of its Leeds Dock site in May 2025 for £11.69m, funded by a government-backed loan via the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. At the time the Royal Armouries said the next step was to secure investment to grow conference, event and hotel capacity at Leeds Dock.

Leeds City Fund

Leeds City Council has named the Royal Armouries Tiltyard as a pilot project for the Leeds City Fund. The council said the project could generate over £700m in gross value added over its lifetime and support upwards of 400 jobs.

The fund, established by the government in Budget 2025 as a 25-year business rates retention zone, will allow Leeds to retain 100% of business rates growth for 25 years, against the 50% the council would usually keep. HM Treasury linked the fund to its commitment to the Northern Growth Corridor. In March 2026 the council said the fund was on track for government sign-off that spring.

The original museum

The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds opened to the public on 30 March 1996 and marks its 30th anniversary this year. Clarence Dock was chosen as the site in June 1991, and the purpose-built building was designed by architect Derek Walker. Construction cost £42.5m and took just over two years, with a tiltyard provided outside for jousting and other mounted martial sport.

The Royal Armouries employs 190 staff and receives about two million visitors a year across its three sites: the Tower of London, the Leeds museum and Fort Nelson in Hampshire.