Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

About the museum

Portsmouth has been a royal naval base for centuries. Its dockyard is recorded as having built the world's first dry dock in 1495, and Tudor warships such as the Mary Rose were built here from the late 1490s. Over the following centuries the yard grew with the Royal Navy: Edmund Dummer built the Great Stone Dock from 1691, the Block Mills of 1802 used Marc Brunel's machines to make ships' pulley blocks in large numbers, and the Victorian age brought steam factories, new basins and a link to the mainline railway.

The historic part of the dockyard became a visitor attraction after the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust was set up in 1985 by the Ministry of Defence, English Heritage and Portsmouth City Council. The trust took a long lease on a 12-acre heritage area, which brings together the ships and museums of the Royal Navy Museums charities. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Ltd manages the visitor side, and each trust looks after its own attraction.

Today one ticket gives access to HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar, which is open to visitors while a long conservation project is under way; HMS Warrior, a Victorian ironclad that still floats; the small First World War monitor HMS M.33; and the Mary Rose Museum, which shows the raised Tudor warship. The Royal Navy Museum galleries, the Victory Gallery and sites across the harbour in Gosport complete the offer, and a new Royal Marines Experience is due to open on 24 October 2026.

Highlights

• HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar
• The raised Tudor warship Mary Rose and its museum
• HMS Warrior, a Victorian ironclad still afloat
• HMS M.33 and the Royal Navy Museum galleries
• Submarine and naval firepower museums in Gosport, reached by free Waterbus

Permanent exhibitions

• Mary Rose Museum – The Tudor warship Mary Rose, raised from the Solent after about 400 years, is displayed in a museum built for it, together with the objects found with her.
• HMS Victory – Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar can be visited on board while a large conservation project called The Big Repair continues.
• HMS Warrior – A Victorian ironclad warship that has stayed afloat for more than 150 years, with a top deck and engine rooms to explore.

Founded

1985

Operated by

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Ltd with Royal Navy Museums

Admission & discounts

The day ticket covers one ship or museum of your choice, with the Waterbus, shops and restaurants included. UK serving personnel with a military MOD90 card enter free, and veterans, Blue Light card holders, local leisure cardholders and several other groups receive 20% off. National Art Pass holders and Museums Association card holders receive free one-day entry. Only one discount can be used per booking, and discounts cannot be claimed after purchase.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The Mary Rose Museum, the Royal Navy Museum galleries, Boathouse 7 and the Explosion museum are wheelchair and scooter accessible, with lifts in the Mary Rose Museum, the Victory Gallery and the Submarines Museum. HMS Warrior has ramp access to the upper deck, and HMS Victory can be entered in a wheelchair only as far as the Lower Gun Deck. HMS Alliance in the Submarines Museum is not wheelchair accessible. Accessible toilets are found throughout the site. Manual wheelchairs can be borrowed from the Visitor Centre, and mobility scooters can be pre-booked through Shopmobility Portsmouth. Disabled bays are in the main car park on a first-come basis. The Mary Rose Museum has an audio loop, large-print guides and tactile plans. Assistance dogs are allowed everywhere.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities

Children under 3 are free and ages 3 to 15 pay the child price. Half-term and holiday activities, storytelling, craft sessions and hunts such as the winter rat trail in the Mary Rose Museum are included in the ticket price. Visitors can go inside a real submarine and try loading a Tudor gun on selected days. Pushchairs cannot be taken on board the ships; buggy parks are outside HMS Victory and HMS Warrior. Accessible toilets with baby changing are in Boathouse 4, Boathouse 7 and the Mary Rose Museum.

Getting there & parking

The Dockyard is less than 5 miles from junction 12 of the M27; follow the brown and white signs for Historic Dockyard and do not enter via Trafalgar Gate, as sat navs may direct drivers into the naval base. Coach parking is arranged through enquiries@historicdockyard.co.uk.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check: not available
• Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi for visitors; users sign in and accept terms. Cafés and restaurants in Boathouse 4, Boathouse 7, the Visitor Centre and the Mary Rose Museum; shops include the Royal Navy Museum Shop and the Mary Rose shop. There is no luggage storage on site, and bags are searched on entry.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Venues can be hired on the Dockyard site; enquiries go to events@royalnavymuseums.org.uk.

Plan your visit