Screen sword show gets to point

Peter's sword from The Chronicles of Narnia is one of the items on display

A display of weapons and armour from Hollywood blockbusters is set to go on display in Leeds.

Props including some from The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia films will be showcased at the Royal Armouries Museum.

Iconic items such as Aragorn's sword and Sauron's helmet (The Lord of the Rings) and a machine gun that killed King Kong will be displayed.

There are no plans as yet for the props to go to any other museum in the UK.

The Royal Armouries has close links with New Zealand-based film and television effects facility WETA Workshop, who made the props for the films.

Bob Woosnam-Savage, a senior curator at the Royal Armouries, has corresponded with WETA for many years and after visiting the workshops made plans for the exhibition.

A cave troll from The Lord of the Rings with curator Bob Woosnam-Savage

He said: "Two years ago I went on holiday to New Zealand, met up with Richard Taylor [co-founder of WETA] and Peter Jackson [co-founder of WETA and director of The Lord of the Rings] and got taken around the workshop.

"Richard and everyone thought the exhibition was a great idea, including Peter, and so that was it."

More than 230 items will be shown, some of which have never been displayed in public before.

The exhibition will also feature objects from The Last Samurai, Hellboy (and Hellboy II) and King Kong.

WETA designers will be holding workshops, including a visit from a master sword-smith.

The exhibition opens on 12 July and runs until 16 November.