'Hugely important' new Portsmouth Royal Marines Museum that tells force's 'amazing story' starts to take shape
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Hard work to bring the new Royal Marines Museum to life is starting to pay off as the new site begins to take shape.
The exciting new attraction at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is due to be open to the public this summer. Situated at Boathouse 6 at the former Action Stations, the new museum promises to be an “experience” to honour the courage, sacrifice, and service, of the Royal Marines.
The News were invited on a tour of the site to see the latest work. James Daly, principal curator (modern and contemporary) at the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN), said: “A lot of our team have been working very hard for a long time on this.
“The Royal Marines are an amazing group of people and tell an amazing story, more than 360 years of going to different places and doing lots of different things. It’s an absolute privilege to work on.”
What will be in the new Royal Marines Museum?
The previous museum in Eastney was closed in 2017, with the building set to become a hotel. Construction is in motion to create what the NMRN describe as an immersive multimedia journey through 400 years of Royal Marines history, from 1664 to today.
Plans have been set out to create a main reception area, film projection room showcasing dramatic pictures and footage of personnel on deployments, a basic training interactive room where people aim to please digital instructors with push-ups and salutes, and an open area where visitors have to deal with a fraction of the extreme environments that the marines face on operations.
A display room will showcase intriguing artefacts from the Royal Marines Band Service to showcase their history. Other amenities include a virtual reality room based on the technology used to train Royal Marines at Lympstone in Devon, a history of the corps gallery, remembrance room to reflect on personnel and veterans who passed away after serving their country, a large artefact exhibition hall, laser quest arena, and drone showcase area. The cinema will also be returning.
“It’s going to be exciting as we have a strong combination of authentic and amazing objects,” Mr Daly added. “We can tell you who wore it, owned it, and where it was. We’re also using the latest technology to bring the Royal Marines story to life, not just their history but what the corps are doing now.
“We want to get across that the Royal Marines are early adopters of new technology. If you look at how much they’re using drones and other equipment like that, it’s only fitting that the museum does that too. It reflects how the marines operate. They’ve always been innovators and changed their role as warfare has adapted.”
The tourist attraction is set to cost £15m, with funding being sought for the final £2.5m. High-profile celebrities including Ross Kemp and historian Dan Snow are among those to back the project. It is due open in July 2026. Mr Daly said the right balance will be struck between the old traditional museum and new immersive experience.
He added: “A lot of it is thinking about the story we’re telling and the audience we’re working for. A large majority of our visitors in the dockyard are families. It’s not just about children, but different generations. A lot of the interactive things we’re going to do aren’t just for kids. They’re for adults too, as it’s the sort of technology the Royal Marines are using.
“It’s hugely important that we’re reopening the Royal Marines Museum. They’re a big part of Portsmouth’s history. Telling that story in the dockyard alongside the wider history of the Royal Navy, we’re putting it in more context than ever before.”
Donations can be made through the NMRN website here.