Metals alumnus to give talk at Buckingham Palace

For his Masters thesis, Metals Conservation student Andrew Braund explored the use of gun shield replicas in collections for interpretation and engagement.

As part of his research, Andrew consulted with two experts on 16th century gun shields; The King's Armourer Simon Metcalf, and The Mary rose Museum's Dr Alex Hildred; and decided to base his replica on a gun shield from Henry VIII's arsenal, found on the Mary Rose.

Since completing his studies earlier this year, Andrew has established himself as an armoury conservator and will be contributing to an event at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace on Thursday 23 November.

In addition to the replica being on display, Andrew will join Simon Metcalf and Dr Alex Hildred in talking about how the replica was made, offering insights into how recent research and conservation of these unusual inventions has informed our understanding of how gun shields were intended to be used during Tudor warfare.