Empire

The earliest European view of Niagara

Thomas Davies' watercolour, ‘An East View of the Great Cataract of Niagara’ (1762), documents the struggle for control of North America and illuminates the history of British exploration and science.

Robert Clive: The nabob general

A courageous, resourceful and ruthless military commander, Major-General Robert Clive helped secure India for Britain. But he was also seen as a greedy speculator who used his political and military influence to amass a fortune.

3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment searching for snipers in Gaynaeim village, 1951

Suez Canal Zone

Between 1945 and 1956, British soldiers garrisoned bases on the Suez Canal in Egypt. A harsh climate, disease and attacks by local nationalists made Suez one of the most unpopular Army postings.

1st Green Jackets patrolling the river near Bekenu in Brunei, December 1962

Indonesian Confrontation

Between 1963 and 1966, British Commonwealth forces fought against Indonesia in a conflict that focused on the future of Brunei and North Borneo.

Aden Emergency

The Aden Emergency (1963-67) was an insurgency against British rule in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. The unrest hastened British plans for withdrawal and marked the end of 20 years of decolonisation.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Clive at Plassey, 1757

Battle of Plassey

Robert Clive's victory at Plassey on 23 June 1757 led to the British becoming the greatest economic and military power in India.

Abyssinia Expedition

The 1868 expedition to Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) was one of the most ambitious and expensive military campaigns ever undertaken by the British Army.

Battle of Quebec

The Battle of Quebec in 1759 was one of Britain's greatest victories of the Seven Years War (1756-63). Major-General James Wolfe’s triumph ultimately led to the British conquest of Canada.

Kenya Emergency

The Kenya Emergency, or Mau Mau Revolt, was one of the British Army's bloodiest and most controversial post-war conflicts.

Why did the Indian Rebellion happen?

In 1857, Indian soldiers rose up against their British commanders. The reasons behind the rebellion stretch back to the very origins of British involvement in Indian affairs.

Decisive events of the Indian Rebellion

The rebellion that broke out in 1857 was the biggest threat to Britain's colonial power during its rule of the Indian subcontinent.

First China War

Between 1839 and 1842, British-Indian forces fought a war with Imperial China that served the interests of opium smugglers. Their resulting victory opened up the lucrative Chinese trade to British merchants.

Explore artefacts and sources on the causes and treatment of injuries and illnesses on the Western Front during the First World War, and assess the impact of these innovations.

Detail from 'Troops of the Royal West African Frontier Force in the Arakan, Burma, 1944'

Exhibition

16 Sep 2025 - 19 Apr 2026 FREE

Empire

The earliest European view of Niagara

Robert Clive: The nabob general

Suez Canal Zone

Indonesian Confrontation

Aden Emergency

Battle of Plassey

Abyssinia Expedition

Battle of Quebec

Kenya Emergency

Why did the Indian Rebellion happen?

Decisive events of the Indian Rebellion

First China War

Explore Empire events

The Indian ‘Mutiny’?

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment (virtual)

World at War: Soldiers of Empire

The Indian ‘Mutiny’? (virtual)

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment

Beyond Burma: Forgotten Armies

Commonwealth soldiers in East Africa

Commonwealth soldiers on the Western Front

Commonwealth soldiers at Gallipoli