The National Army Museum – Waterloo Lives
The National Army Museum is commemorating the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo with a nationwide programme of events, activities and displays. Waterloo Lives will provide opportunities for all the family to learn more about this iconic battle and those whose lives were affected by it.
Exhibitions
While the National Army Museum’s main site at Chelsea is closed for refurbishment, objects from its Collection are making guest appearances in family-friendly exhibitions which look at how the Battle of Waterloo was fought and won.
Waterloo Lives: The Gordon Highlanders
The Gordon Highlanders Museum, Aberdeen
24 February – 28 November
Museum admission charge applies, see website for details.
Waterloo Lives: The Defence of Hougoumont Farm
The Guards Museum, London
24 February – 28 November
Museum admission charge applies, see website for details.
Waterloo Lives
Somerset Military Museum, Taunton
21 April – 4 July
Admission free, see website for details.
Waterloo Lives: Wellington’s Redcoats
The Duke of Wellington’s Regimental Museum, Halifax
2 May – 25 July
Admission free, see website for details.
Waterloo Lives: The Black Watch
The Black Watch Castle and Museum, Perth
15 May – 30 October
Museum admission charge applies see website for details.
Waterloo Lives: The Battle for Honour
Firing Line – Cardiff Castle Museum of the Welsh Soldier
1 June – 30 November
Museum admission charge applies, see website for details.
Waterloo Lives: Relics & Remembrance
The Victoria Gallery and Museum, Liverpool
6 June – 24 October
Exhibition free.
See website for details.
Waterloo Lives: The Story Behind the Painting
The Williamson Art Gallery and Museum, Birkenhead
6 June – 24 October
See website for details.
Displays
The National Army Museum has partnered with museums across the country on a series of temporary displays which look at how the Battle of Waterloo was fought and won.
Work in Focus: The Battle of Waterloo
Graves Gallery, Sheffield
13 June – 29 August
Admission free, see website for details.
Waterloo Lives: Liverpool and the French Connection
Museum of Liverpool, Liverpool
6 June – 24 October
Admission free, see website for details.
Surgeons’ Hall Museum, Edinburgh
September – December (dates TBC)
Display free. Museum admission charge applies, see website for details.
Events
Learn about the history of the Battle through entertaining and informative events, film screenings, a nationwide quiz and even a travelling pub.
Pop Up Pub
A Soldier Relating His Exploits in a Tavern, John Cawse. Copyright National Army Museum.
Did you know that pubs in the UK are named after the Duke of Wellington and the Battle of Waterloo because many returning veterans became publicans? In honour of this tradition the Museum has created its own family-friendly pop-up pub to tour the country, delivering pints of knowledge about the Battle along its way. You can play the Battle of Waterloo game and win a free family trip to Belgium. Locations are:
• London, Waterloo Station – Friday 1st May
• Halifax, Woolshops Shopping Centre – Saturday 9th May
• Taunton, Castle Green – Saturday 16th May
• Liverpool, Paradise Place, Liverpool ONE – Thursday 28th May
• Royal Norfolk Country Show – 1st & 2nd July
Pop Up Poses: The Returning Soldier
Shoreditch, London
16 – 30 May 2015
The Returning Soldier, part of the National Army Museum’s Waterloo Lives. Copyright National Army Museum.
A 20 metre long piece of graffiti-style street art, installed in Shoreditch, The Returning Soldier is inspired by the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. It explores how soldiers were treated by British society 200 years ago, and how we think of soldiers today.
Learn more about The Returning Soldier, and see a video of its installation, here.
Pop Up People
The NAM will be presenting a series of talks and discussions at several locations. Featuring popular names such as Dan and Peter Snow, the talks will offer listeners a fresh perspective on the Battle.
Peter Snow & Dan Snow – ‘The Battle of Waterloo Experience’
Army & Navy Club, London
30 April, 8pm
Tickets start at £10, concessions £7.50. Dinner tickets also available, see website for details.
Tim Clayton – ‘Waterloo: Four Days That Changed Europe’s Destiny’
Army & Navy Club, London
11 June, 8pm
Tickets start at £10, concessions £7.50. Dinner tickets also available, see website for details.
Nick Lipscombe – ‘Wellington and his Gunners’
Army & Navy Club, London
16 April, 12.30pm
Tickets are free but must be booked in advance, see website for details.
Alwyn Collinson – ‘Waterloo: Stories of Love, Death and War’
Army & Navy Club, London
30 April, 12.30pm
Tickets are free but must be booked in advance, see website for details.
Mark Adkin – The Hundred Days: Napoleon’s Road from Elba to Waterloo
Army & Navy Club, London
11 June, 12.30pm
Tickets are free but must be booked in advance, see website for details.
Professor Philip Shaw – ‘Shocking Sights of Woe’: David Wilkie, Charles Bell and the Battle of Waterloo
Army & Navy Club, London
9 July, 12.30pm
Tickets are free but must be booked in advance, see website for details.
Emma Butcher – Waterloo and the Brontës
Army & Navy Club, London
23 July, 12.30pm
Tickets are free but must be booked in advance, see website for details.
Pop-up Cinema
Immersive film screening of classic movie, ‘Waterloo’, to be screened at The Vaults under Waterloo Station. Tickets are free but registration required.
Waterloo Lives – Puzzler
Do you know why Wellington’s boots were so unusually short or what was the actual height of the French Emperor? Test your Battle knowledge with our free quiz. Play with your friends or stage your own pub quiz in the local boozer.
Battle of Waterloo Game
The National Army Museum has commissioned a special Battle of Waterloo game, giving you the chance to experience 18 June 1815. Lead a cavalry charge, hunt for wounded soldiers, or beat a military drum.
Waterloo Conference
Waterloo: Representation and Memory, 1815-2015
University of York, York
26 June – 28 June
Organised by the National Army Museum in partnership with the University of York, this conference is aimed at academics, historians and students. It will explore how the legend of the battle was captured in the cultural mementos and media of the era and will look at the diverse ways in which the Battle has been commemorated.
Waterloo Book
The Battle of Waterloo Experience by Peter & Dan Snow
(Andre Deutsch, April 2015)
This major new book produced in association with the National Army Museum, is a compelling treatment of the Hundred Days campaign. Written by renowned broadcaster Peter Snow and historian Dan Snow, the book is beautifully illustrated and includes reproductions of letters and documents from the Museum’s Collection that graphically portray the background to Napoleon’s final defeat. Purchase online.
