The National Civil War Centre has announced the second of its new temporary exhibitions, which will open this month.

Cutting Edge: The Changing Tools of War will consider the transformations in the roles of soldiers and how they armed themselves that took place between 1618 and 1651. No longer did they want to be weighed down by heavy armour; instead the focus shifted to new, more sophisticated weaponry that was fit to equip the New Model Army, the country’s first professional standing force.

Cutting Edge will give visitors to the National Civil War Centre a chance to see first-hand examples of this progress, many on display for the very first time. They will be able to study Thomas Fairfax’s sword, see close up a first edition of Robert Ward’s Animadversions of Warre and discover how the bloody seventeenth century prompted fundamental changes in warfare, the effects of which are still being felt today.

Assistant Business Manager for Heritage, Culture and Visitors, Carol King, said, “Cutting Edge will enable visitors to the National Civil War Centre to see up-close arms and armour that represent some of the many tangible changes that took place during the turbulent seventeenth century. We are excited to offer many objects that have never been displayed anywhere before making this a fantastic opportunity for visitors.”

Opening to the public on Thursday 29th March, Cutting Edge will launch alongside the previously announced Shaking The Foundations: The Quest For Democracy, which considers the debate around the issue of suffrage in this 100th anniversary year of the 1918 Representation of the People Act.