'Immersive' new Royal Marines Museum in Portsmouth honouring Commandos nears completion as funding sought
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TV personalities Ross Kemp and Dan Snow have given their backing to help raise the final £2.5m needed to create a new museum aimed at paying tribute to the “courage, sacrifice, and service” of the Royal Marines.
The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) is making the final push to fund the £15m Royal Marines Experience, which is being created at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
The centre, which has been supported by a £4.4m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund – along with funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation, NMRN reserves and private donations, is being designed as a place of “remembrance and inspiration” with interactive experiences to tell the story of the elite force which was formed in 1664. It is scheduled to open in July this year.
Matthew Sheldon, CEO of NMRN, said journey to opening has been long and exciting. He told The News: “The old museum has been closed for too many years. Generating momentum to raise the funding, and get spades in the ground, has been a long effort.
“It’s going to be a fantastic new asset for the corps of Royal Marines and a great new home for them, and a great addition to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Big projects are always tough to deliver on time and to budget. It’s not going to be a traditional museum. It’s going to be rich in history and full of amazing artefacts and stories.”
Mr Sheldon said the new site will showcase a “Royal Marines experience” that “does justice” to the ongoing story of the force. “Their role is more relevant and resonant than ever,” he added. “Having something that connects their past to the present and future is really important.
“We’re getting people up close to the commandos to show what they go through in training, on deployment, and what they face in extreme environments. It’s an immersive and active experience rich in history.
“The marines have so much history and have been about reinvention and changes in their role. We’re seeking to reflect that. We’re not going to do a chronological history for everybody, but we’re going to bring out what’s really special about the marines. I think people are going to love it. It’s going to do something very different to the old marines museum.”
What will be in the new Royal Marines Museum?
The former Action Stations inside Boathouse Number 6 is the site of the transformed facility, replacing the former Royal Marines Museum in Eastney which closed in 2017. It aims to create an immersive multimedia journey through 400 years of Royal Marines history, from 1664 to today. It is expected to feature interactive galleries and Commando challenges to reveal the Corps’ ethos, operations, and the physical and mental demands of service.
Enlightening archives will include various artefacts and historical objects from over the years. Boathouse 6 will also house a special exhibition gallery and a Royal Marines commando-themed Laser Quest arena, plunging players into a hi-tech battle inspired by the Royal Marines. The cinema is also set to return, alongside a “Remembrance Room” where families can reflect on those who have died while serving the country.
Ross Kemp, an actor and presenter who has family links to Portsmouth with his great great grandfather owning the Ship and Castle pub in Landport, reported from the front line in Afghanistan while he was embedded with British regiments including 45 Commando Royal Marines. He has given his full backing to the project, alongside historian Dan Snow.
He said: “I’ve been with Royal Marines on the ground, and you see it up close, the discipline, the humour, the calm under pressure, and the fierce loyalty to the person beside them. The Royal Marines Experience matters because it captures that truth, not as myth, but in the voices of the people who lived it.”
Mr Snow added: “The Royal Marines are woven through over 360 years of British history, from the age of sail to the present day. What makes their story exceptional is not just what happened, but the standard behind it, and the people who carried it. The Royal Marines Experience will safeguard that living history and share it with the public in a powerful, modern way.”
Sarah Adkins, sister of the late Major General Matt Holmes – a former head of the Royal Marines, said: “Matt said ‘Once in the Royal Marines family, always in the Royal Marines family’. The families of Royal Marines, serving and former, are very much part of the Corps family. The Remembrance Room will provide a special space in which to remember Royal Marines no longer with us, honouring both their service and those who grieve their loss. The pride in the Green Beret and all that it stands for unites everyone in the Royal Marines family, irrespective of connection, rank, length of service, combat experience and age.”
Lieutenant General Sir Robert Fulton, a former commandant general Royal Marines, added: “The Royal Marines Experience is not just a building – it is a promise. A promise that the courage of those who served, and the memory of those who gave their lives, will never be forgotten.”
Donations can be made through the NMRN website here.