As we drove towards Portsmouth harbour I could see the distinctive shape of the Spinnaker Tower against the sharp blue of the sky. This puzzled me.
“I thought that tower was in Plymouth,” I said to my husband, Dougie.
“Remind me what you did your degree in?” he replied.
“Geography,” I mumbled.
Silence ensued for the remainder of the journey; one of us was acutely embarrassed and the other was smirking.
We were planning to spend a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, a place we’ve always wanted to visit, primarily to have a look around HMS Victory and the Mary Rose, two iconic ships which are located here. What I hadn’t anticipated was how many other attractions have also made their home there. There is a large collection of ships and museums in this working naval base, covering 800 years of naval history.
Buying an ‘All Attraction’ ticket online seemed like the best option for us. We realised there was little value in trying to see everything all in one day, so, like our visit to Bletchley Park that same weekend, we were reassured by the offer of unlimited free returns in one year.
What can you see at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard?
There are two main locations for the attractions: Portsmouth harbour and across the water in Gosport. The All Attraction ticket obviously allows entry to all the exhibits but also includes harbour tours and the waterbus across to Gosport. Here’s what you can see:
- HMS Victory – the world’s oldest commissioned warship, Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
- The Mary Rose – Henry VIII’s flagship, brought to the surface in 1982 after sinking in the Solent in 1545
- HMS Warrior 1860 – the word’s first iron-hulled warship.
- HMS M.33 – launched in 1915, it is the only remaining British ship from the Gallipoli campaign.
- National Museum of the Royal Navy – learn about naval past and present, Nelson Gallery and the Trafalgar Experience.
- Action Stations & Laser Quest – families will love the assault course, climbing walls, Sky Tykes (2-7 year olds), Merlin flight deck and weapons range. Extra charges apply for Laser Quest
- Boathouse 4 – boatbuilding, heritage skills and hands-on children’s activities plus an indoor mast-climbing experience.
- Royal Navy Submarine Museum – Gosport – take a walk on HMS Alliance, the only remaining WW2-era submarine.
- Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower – Gosport – home to a collection of torpedoes and modern missiles.
- Royal Marines Museum – offsite at Eastney – explore the 350 year history of the Royal Marines.
There are also shops selling antiques, gifts and Royal Navy souvenirs plus numerous food outlets: a number of cafes/restaurants plus food stalls.
Here’s what we managed to visit during our day at the dockyard…
HMS Victory
We made a beeline for Victory as it is a ship we hold very close to our hearts. In 1998, 34 tonnes of Victory oak and copper were sold to three Norwich businessmen to raise funds for the upcoming bicentennial celebrations of 2005. David Roger Burton was one of a few local craftsmen given the task of creating new items from the old wood to sell to the public. We saw the collection at craft fairs in Norfolk and purchased a few items from David over a number of years at his shop, The Staithe Gallery, in Wells-next-the-Sea. . It’s very special to have pieces from Victory in our own home – to touch them and wonder about the history within each piece of wood and copper.
HMS Victory is a stunner. It looks as if it’s been designed by Disney. You could be forgiven for temporarily thinking you’d stepped into a theme park or the set of Pirates of the Caribbean. Once painted yellow, scientists have deduced that its original colour was salmon pink so, as part of the current restoration, it now has a pinkish hue. The masts are down at the moment for repairs but it’s still a magnificent sight.
Visitors are given a superb audio guide which works by pointing at a number of receivers on the ship. It doesn’t feel restrictive, you can hear the clips out of order if you wish, but the whole story of the Battle of Trafalgar is told, the narration including battle sounds.
Despite my advice to my 6′ tall husband to mind his head on countless occasions, he still managed to slam into a beam, just as were listening to Nelson himself being knocked to the ground by the fatal shot. Dazed and desperate not to swear, he staggered around as we followed the action down to where Nelson was cared for by the ship’s surgeon. I think my own casualty was hoping the ghost of Dr Beattie might lay a cold compress on his bruised head. Certainly he was tempted to have a lie down in one of the hammocks.
“Kiss me Hardy,” Dougie said to me, hoping for, at least, a peck on the cheek and a word of comfort.
“Oh for goodness sake! Give it a rub. You’ll be fine.”
The Mary Rose
I can remember quite clearly all the media reports at the time when the Mary Rose was finally brought to the surface in 1982. A third of the ship had been protected by the Solent mud for 400 years and it’s this fragile portion of the vessel that now resides in the sleek, futuristic building in Portsmouth. The building reminded me of the Nemo science centre in Amsterdam and the sight of the ship itself brought back memories of the Vasa warship carefully preserved, following a similar sinking, in Stockholm.
The remains of Henry’s VIII’s warship, plus the hundreds of amazingly-preserved artefacts, are exhibited in nine galleries. Look through the vast glass walkways and see the ship, carefully positioned, with the lights dimmed. The ship then springs to life with a superb light and sound experience which projects characters onto the ship so you can see people working as they would have done in 1545. On the top floor, visitors move through air-locked doors so that they can breathe the same warm, humid air as the Mary Rose and admire it from the balcony.
Al credit to the creators of this fine home for the Mary Rose. It’s one of the most incredible museums I’ve seen and at no time did we feel rushed. There was plenty of time and space to just stand, look and admire.
National Museum of the Royal Navy
A place to soak up even more battle drama with exhibits about Nelson, his ship and, at the end of the Trafalgar multimedia experience, see the impressive 42 ft long panorama painting of the battle by William Wyllie. An exhibition called ‘Hear My Story’ tells previously undiscovered accounts from ordinary men and women involved in the Royal Navy over the last 100 years.
Harbour Tour
We were fortunate to turn up at the departure point just as a trip was about to leave so we hopped on the boat and had an enjoyable 45 minute ride around the harbour. This is a great way to get your bearings and also exciting to see working Navy vessels moored in the harbour, having returned from duty. We also managed to see the Spinnaker Tower from a closer range. I can categorically state that it is, indeed, in Portsmouth.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Visitor Centre, Victory Gate, HM Naval Base, Portsmouth, PO1 3LJ
We had such a great day here a couple of years back. The children thought the Poop Decks were hysterical on every boat we went on, but we all had a great day! I had no idea you had a geography degree! You learn something new every day! 🙂 x
Ah how I miss visiting attractions with kids – we didn’t once laugh at any poop decks which is actually a real shame haha!
Yes, my geography degree comes in very handy when having arguments about directions when we’re driving 😉 x
For a minute I thought that building was the HMS Mary Rose! It’s so fantastic that the mud preserved some of it for so long. It’s straight out of the ship wrecks you see in movies! And the HMS Victory is just gorgeous. When I first started reading I was a little skeptical because I thought “hmm, visiting ships sounds OK but not necessarily my cup of tea”. But your post totally changed my mind. Thank you! #FarawayFiles
I’m glad I’ve changed your mind about visiting ships! Must admit, these ships are very special and the way they are shown to the public makes it so much more interesting than others I’ve wandered round in the past. Two very different experiences.
Oh my goodness, we really need to visit here! All those incredibly historic ships! We’d be making a beeline for HMS Victory and the Mary Rose too. I honestly find it thrilling to walk in the steps of historic figures of the past. I like the idea of doing a harbour tour too. Thanks for inspiring future visits on #FarawayFiles
I can’t wait for the return visit – it was far better than I’d expected, and I had high hopes to begin with!
Gosh – what a beautiful boat the HMS victory is! I had no idea. I think my son would love to see this and I would love to see the Mary Rose. I also love a good harbour trip – so if we are ever in the South of England, I will definitely add this to my list of must-dos. #farawayfiles
HMS Victory really is quite something but to have all the other treasures too makes the day trip or two great value.
Oh – we love a good boat tour – been through a few around the world! Viking Ships and military ships and even the Kon-Tiki! Think I would love to see the Victory – so impressive and unlike we’ve experienced before. Thanks for sharing with #FarawayFiles, Erin
Me too! Hop on them as a great way to see a city. We’ve seen the Kon-Tiki too in Oslo – absolutely loved it.
I so loved the Mary Rose Trish and agree it is one of the best curated museums I have seen in a long time. Such a brilliant use of technology combined with an incredible artifact. We went there last year and absolutely loved it. Thanks for joining #FarawayFiles
It really is quite futuristic and yet the authenticity of the fragile wreck is maintained. Very clever.
It’s been a long time since I visited historical Portsmouth and the girls have never been. Think we’ll have to make a visit there when the girls are older. #FarawayFiles
I’d never been before. Hopefully when we go again with our ticket we can spend a bit longer in the city.
Fantastic article, we were in Portsmouth just a few weeks ago but didn’t have a chance to visit this – but it looks brilliant.
Go back now! That’s an order from Nelson 😉 😉
lots of interesting boats #citytripping
Yes, there are.
I too remember the Mary Rose, I think they covered it extensively on Blue Peter (cos I was actually v young in 1982!!). But I’m staggered by the beauty of HMS Victory – so elegant.
Haha! Yes, Blue Peter or Newsround – you must have been a wee baby!
Victory is indeed a beauty.
#citytripping
You’ve made me want to go Trish! I think I saw the Mary Rose as a child…have vague memories. As someone who adored the Vasa, I should explore those nearer to home. Although not quite the same as having a piece actually IN my home. That’s amazing! Thanks for linking #citytripping
The Mary Rose definitely has the same appeal as Vasa – and that same earthy smell!
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is a fantastic place to visit I agree, with a whole range of different seafaring histories and stories. My grandgrandfather who was ex merchant navy was a guide on the Victory. I must visit the Mary Rose it’s something we haven’t done yet and it would be fascinating. #CityTripping
Oh wow, that’s fascinating to know about your grandfather. What a great experience for him.
We love the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, when we had our year ticket we went back lots of times. Worth it just for Mary Rose and the Victory #CityTripping
We need to get our act together as the months will fly by and we’ll forget to return!