Step inside the abandoned Royal Navy Rum Store in Gosport which is being transformed - pictures

Efforts to restore the deteriorating Royal Navy Rum Store are continuing ahead of a major construction update.

The 150-year-old building at Victoria Quay Boatyard in Gosport is slowly starting to take shape. After being close to falling into disrepair, UK Docks Maritime Services took on efforts to transform the structure into hub for businesses including restaurants.

The £22m programme aims to be completed by March 2028, with the defence firm matching £11m Gosport Borough Council received from the Government's Local Regeneration Fund in 2023.

FURTHER DETAILS: Royal Navy Rum Store continues to transform

The Royal Navy Rum Store is a Grade II listed building which originally stored alcohol, sugar and beer for Royal Navy sailors at HMNB Portsmouth. It was a vibrant hub of activity in Victorian times and afterwards as part of the historic Royal Clarence Yard. By the 1970s though, it fell into disrepair.

The Rum Store was heavily bombed in the Second World War, and only the blast-proof doors - still part of the structure today - kept it from caving in. A partial roof collapse in recent years also created problems.

Nearly 7,000 sqm of mixed-use space will be created amid painstaking efforts to safeguard the architectural and historical interest of the building. Early enabling works are due to be completed imminently, with the engineers proceeding to main infrastructure work inside the Rum Store.

The News was invited on a tour of the building to see how the project is progressing. Here are a selection of pictures from the visit.