Museum of Naval Power re-ignites!
May Bank Holiday Weekend
In October 2009, Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust completed the acquisition of Priddy’s Hard and ‘Explosion!’ - Museum of Naval Firepower - from Gosport Borough Council. Now, the organisation which also owns Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on lease from the MOD, will unite both sides of the harbour when it re-launches Explosion! with the introduction of a waterbus service.
The Trust has been a long-term advocate of uniting historic sites on the Portsmouth and Gosport sides of the harbour so that their history can be celebrated as a single story. Explosion! will re-launch on the May bank holiday weekend when it is hoped that a waterbus service will be fully operational, following dredging of a channel and the installation of a floating pontoon; allowing visitors to arrive from Portsmouth directly to the Priddy’s Hard jetty close to the entrance of the Museum.
The summer waterbus service will link Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to Explosion!, the Royal Navy Submarine Museum and Gunwharf Quays. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and Gunwharf Quays will sell tickets to visit the Gosport attractions inclusive of a return boat trip.
Peter Goodship, Property Trust Chief Executive, said: ‘Portsmouth Harbour and its history have attracted millions of visitors from all over the world yet its potential as a truly international destination has yet to be realised partly because it falls within different administrative boundaries.
We believe that by the public and private sectors on all sides of the Harbour working together we can make a difference.
As well as paving the way for many more visitors to both Explosion! and the Royal Navy Submarine Museum it is hoped that the waterbus will become an increasingly popular way for people to travel around the harbour during the summer months.
'We need to forget artificial local boundaries and create Portsmouth Harbour as a visitor destination, celebrating its rich cultural and social history.’
Explosion! The Museum of Naval Firepower is an award-winning, hands-on, interactive museum telling the story of naval warfare from the days of gunpowder to modern missiles. The museum includes a nationally significant collection of guns and naval ordnance, an original 18th century gunpowder vault and social history of the people who supplied the Navy from the days of Trafalgar to the Gulf War.
Located within 18th century buildings at the Royal Navy’s former armaments depot of Priddy’s Hard, Gosport, Explosion! is on the edge of the delightful western shore of Portsmouth Harbour, with views across to Portchester Castle, Whale Island and the Naval Base.
Explosion! is a modern museum providing a complete visitor experience with a full range of facilities and access for all visitors. There is also a gift shop with books and souvenirs, plus a coffee shop with magnificent views of Portsmouth Harbour.
The museum has remained open on a limited basis throughout the transition and Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust has invested in updating the various displays during this time.
The physical evidence of the Royal Navy’s transition from the age of sail, gunpowder and solid shot, to the Dreadnought era of the early 1900s, is well preserved at Priddy’s Hard in a range of structures. Already new homes and transport infrastructure are bringing life back to this fascinating complex and the re-launch of Explosion! is set to add to momentum of the harbour renaissance.
Tickets are £12.50 for a joint ticket to Explosion! and the Royal Navy Submarine Museum with the inclusion of the waterbus valid for one return trip, £10 for a single ticket or £7 concessions to either of the museums and one return waterbus trip. Tickets for the waterbus service can be bought in isolation at £5.
