Alistair Hardaker | Image: Royal Navy Museums: Royal Marines Experience
‘Royal Navy Museums: Royal Marines Experience’ prepares to open at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Royal Navy Museums has revealed the opening date for its Royal Marines Experience.
Opening to the public on 24 October 2026, the new experience will create a national home for the story of the Royal Marines inside Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
The £15m project has been supported by a £4.4m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation, Royal Navy Museums reserves and private donations.
The Royal Marines Experience is set withing the 1840’s Grade II* listed Boathouse 6 in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, which was previously home to the ‘Action Stations’ visitor attraction.
It will now feature hands-on activities, multimedia displays, immersive technology and objects that reveal the people behind more than 360 years of Marines service.
Matthew Sheldon, CEO of Royal Navy Museums said the new museum has been designed for visitors to “step into, not simply look at.”
“We want people to leave with a deeper understanding of the people who serve, and with a sense that they have shared in a story that belongs to the nation.”
It will incorporate VR and AR technology, alongside physical and mental challenges.
Royal Navy Museums has developed the Experience with real Royal Marines, drawing on serving and former Royal Marines, families and specialists.
Objects on display include all 10 Victoria Crosses awarded to the Royal Marines, from the Crimean War to Second World War, and a Green beret worn by Marine W.G.C. ‘Molly’ MacPherson who served during the Falklands War.
The former Royal Marines Museum closed in 2017 with plans to move to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and create a new centre for Royal Marines heritage. In its new space,
Boathouse 6 will also house a Royal Navy Museums Exhibition Space, conferencing facilities and a Royal Marines commando-themed Laser Quest arena.
