Museums

Museums

Quite apart from the clutch of museums at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, there’s a treasure trove of history to be discovered on a Portsmouth city break, ranging from important national collections to intriguing local stories. One of England’s most celebrated literary giants drew his first breath in Portsmouth and Charles Dickens’ Birthplace provides a fascinating insight into the writer’s early life. 

At Southsea the Royal Marines Museum celebrates over 300 years of the elite naval fighting corps whilst the D-Day Museum tells the tale of World War II, culminating in the D-Day landings.  What staggers here is the sheer scale of information – ranging from short films on the evacuation and rationing to graphic information on war-winning initiatives like the artificial Mulberry Harbours constructed off the Normandy beach-head and exhibits of the beach tanks and amphibious vehicles used in the invasion.  This is also the home of the Overlord Tapestry, which, like its Bayeux forerunner, weaves the war’s story in impressive detail.

See how many of Portsmouth’s 12 museums you can cover on a city break.