Norton Armouries

General information

The company was originally founded in 2000 and immediately set to work producing armour and costume pieces for a multitude of film and TV projects including Gladiator, A Knight’s Tale, Beowulf, Band of Brothers, Leprechauns and Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story.

Since then, the work of Norton Armouries has been present in many more major productions such as Timeline, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing, Troy, King Arthur, Alexander and Kingdom of Heaven as well as a wide range of theatre projects and it is to this standard of production that Norton Armouries has, and always will, worked to.

Although we initially began producing armour we found that the methods we utilised were suitable for props and special effects and is a testament to the fact that our unique process has many other possible applications and in a highly competitive line of work we know that there is always room for improvement and we approach new ideas and challenges with enthusiasm and delight. It is because of this outlook that we have had the good fortune to try our hand (and succeed!) at creating fully mounted knights, medieval saddles, horse harnesses and armour, shields, weapons to a high-quality in fashions ranging from pre-Roman to futuristic and fantasy and we are always looking for new challenges.

Location:

The company is set in the beautiful village of Eastnor, which forms part of the Eastnor Castle Estate in rural Herefordshire, yet is only a 10 minute drive from the M50, permitting quick and easy access to the rest of the UK. However, due to the confidential nature of much of our work, we are not open to the public, although we are happy to welcome visitors by prior appointment.

On site we have several workshops, a modelling and moulding workshop, a modern industrial processing plant where we produce our polyurethane armour, costume and props as well as full assembly, painting and finishing facilities. All manned by our team of highly skilled and dedicated craftsmen who possess the knowledge gained from years in the industry. This combination of facilities and staff allows us to manage every aspect of production from start to finish, ensuring that we can produce the best that is required of us whether it be a one-off piece for a principle character or outfitting an entire army.

The Armour:

All our creations are made from a hybrid polyurethane pioneered for use in the film industry as an armour material for the blockbuster film Gladiator. Its versatility in production caused it to quickly gain in popularity to the point that it is now the preferred choice of stuntmen for both look and comfort.

The advantage of using hybrid polyurethane in production is that its attributes permit us to produce large quantities of the finished product both rapidly and in a wide range of finishes. In addition, it is superior to traditional materials due to the polyurethane being exceedingly strong and resistant to wear and corrosion whilst simultaneously being lightweight and semi-flexible