Redevelopment of the 800 year old White Tower at the Tower of London to create a new permanent gallery with the world's longest running tourist attraction.

The Line of Kings exhibition was first put together in 1692, featuring royal armour and life-sized wooden horses made by Grinling Gibbons and other renowned English woodcarvers. Originally intended as a piece of propaganda to promote the Stuart monarchy the basic form changed little before 1800. During the 19th century experts increasingly criticised the exhibition's anachronisms, such as William the Conqueror (b.1028) armed with an 18th century musket. In 1826, the Line of Kings display was moved to a purpose-built new gallery and reorganised to show the historical development of armour until it closed in 1882.

We were appointed to redevelop the entrance floor gallery of the White Tower, a scheduled monument and UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and reimagine the Line of Kings exhibition in its fourth century as a visitor experience.

Our design removed centuries of linings and installations to reveal the scale of the space, the 800 year old masonry and generous windows. Exquisite armour in bespoke cases sit against a screen of breastplates from a 15th century battleground. Blackened steel and reclaimed timber elements were used to support the haptic qualities of the pre-modern space.

We worked closely with the curatorial and operations team to maximise the number of objects on open display, developing access dimensions from first principles to create an immersive experience for the Tower's annual 2.8 million visitors.