I’ve been fascinated by the Mary Rose, ever since I watched the wreck being raised from underneath the Solent as a baby, so attending to see this Tudor ship is all the time a spotlight of a go to to Portsmouth – however with a lot to do at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with youngsters, it’s actually solely the start.
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Dwelling to Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory, in addition to HMS Warrior, as soon as the world’s largest warship, plus a string of different sights, it’s no shock that the Historic Dockyard‘s tickets features a 12-month Final Explorer move to offer you sufficient time to suit all of them in.
However when you’re solely you’re solely visiting Portsmouth for someday, as we have been, and squeezing in a go to to the Spinnaker Tower as nicely, simply what are you able to handle to see at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with youngsters? Actually rather a lot…
The Mary Rose Museum
Evidently, our first cease needed to be the Mary Rose – I bear in mind seeing the ship right here again within the 80s with my very own dad and mom, however by the point I subsequent visited as an grownup, a serious £5 million challenge was underway to offer her a brand new house and put extra displays on show.
Reopened as soon as once more in 2016, I couldn’t wait to see her in all her new glory and introduce my daughter to the story of the ship, her wrecking and salvage.
And the Mary Rose Museum might hardly be extra completely different than my recollections of my first go to – which, let’s face it, have been nonetheless spectacular sufficient for me to recollect it vividly for many years! Then, guests have been saved on a walkway underneath low lighting with water jets spraying the traditional timbers.
At the moment’s high-tech, in-depth exhibition is a world away, and if I hadn’t needed to see extra of the Historic Dockyard’s sights, I believe I might have spent all day right here.
To start out off, you stroll by means of an interactive presentation narrated by Henry VIII himself, giving a few of the background concerning the Mary Rose. His personal flagship throughout the wars with the French, she sank in 1545 because the king watched from the shore, with greater than 400 males killed.
It’s a very enjoyable approach to carry the story to life for teenagers, earlier than getting into the exhibition galleries. And with loads of interactive touches all through, there’s little probability of youthful guests becoming bored by the mass of historic element.
Within the first room alone, my daughter was engrossed in a portray of the sinking of the Mary Rose, with touchscreens permitting you to decide on specific particulars to be taught extra about, from individuals pictured to on a regular basis life, in addition to extra concerning the ships moored within the harbour.
Then there’s dressing as much as take pleasure in, in between studying extra background together with theories on why the Mary Rose sank, why so lots of her crew have been drowned, and some artefacts together with the ship’s bell.
However across the nook is your first sight of the wreck herself, with a number of viewing galleries on completely different ranges. With components rotted away, you possibly can see the entire skeleton of the ship – and it feels astounding that something has survived, though the stable oak used within the building remains to be powerful sufficient to stroll on.
Not that guests can try this, after all, however with new glass panels by the walkways and an unobstructed line of sight to the ship, the views are higher than ever.
As with the remainder of the shows, it’s all been completed very cleverly – after gazing onto the darkened and silent ship for a couple of minutes, the wreck unexpectedly sprang to life, as sure areas on board have been illuminated with projections of their inhabitant going about their each day enterprise.
It provides you an thought of how crowded, noisy and customarily filled with exercise and bustle the ship will need to have been, with wooden being sawn, a canine barking, voices echoing; all of the sudden as a substitute of a historic wreck, you see the Mary Rose as very a lot a dwelling ship.
A part of me hardly desires to spoil the impact, which took us by delighted shock, however as one among my favorite parts, it’s too good to maintain secret.
As you then discover the completely different themed galleries with extra displays and knowledge, you retain having an opportunity to see the Mary Rose from the assorted ranges as you go, which is an added bonus.
However there’s now way more to discover than merely the wreck. A number of the first shows introduce you to individuals or occupations on board – even together with the skeleton of the ship’s canine.
Alongside the way in which, you’ll be taught the whole lot from what the furnishings and instruments you’d have discovered within the cabins, such because the surgeon’s gear, proper right down to the garments the grasp gunner was sporting, full with gunpowder stain.
The shows even recreate the faces of a few of the crew, in addition to intimate particulars found from their skeletons – the grasp gunner had horrible enamel and a healed fracture on his left hand, for instance, whereas the grasp carpenter most likely got here from Spain, was in his 30s and had the beginnings of arthritis.
Plus there are notes with added bits of trivia, and tips about particulars to look out for, reminiscent of carved dragons in a single specific case – one other bonus for households.
There’s extra interactive enjoyable right here too: a sport to see when you might disable enemy ships reasonably than sinking them, an opportunity to get fingers on with stone shot used within the weapons, and even a reproduction of a jar from the surgeon’s cabin, which nonetheless smelled of menthol centuries after it was misplaced beneath the waves.
Elsewhere you might excavate objects from beneath the sand with a paintbrush, or see when you’re sturdy sufficient to drag again the drawstring on a longbow – not really easy, no surprise the archer discovered on board had a broken elbow from doing that again and again!
There’s a lot data, this evaluation might simply turn out to be a e book if I attempted to say the whole lot, however imagine me after I say enable loads of time to soak all of it in! You’re really useful to permit two hours a minimum of.
To complete, there’s a 4D cinema expertise, Dive the Mary Rose 4D, which is new for 2023 overlaying her more moderen historical past with the discovering of the Mary Rose in 1971, the lengthy excavation and the intricate salvage operation to boost the wreck in 1982, a feat that’s nearly as spectacular because the ship herself.
HMS Victory
Nelson’s flagship is the opposite best-known spotlight of a go to to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with youngsters, the oldest naval ship nonetheless in fee worldwide.
And whereas the ship is at the moment coated in scaffolding, you possibly can nonetheless go aboard to go searching.
Solely ever designed to final for round 9 years earlier than needing repairs, beginning lively service in 1778 throughout the conflict of American Independence, then famously taking over Napoleon’s fleet on the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS Victory has survived for over 250 years.
With lots of her timbers rotting, a £45 million pound revamp has eliminated the decayed sections and is aiming to revive the remainder of the ship over the following 10 years or so – which does imply that when you go to now, you’ll get to see sections of Victory which have by no means been on show earlier than.
It’s simple sufficient to dodge the scaffolding, and whereas there is likely to be a couple of detours on the route, we didn’t really feel that we have been lacking out on any of the important thing components of the ship both.
And what brings HMS Victory to life is the improbable audio information. Usually we are likely to skip these as my daughter both desires to race by means of or rapidly will get bored of listening to the recorded data.
On Victory, it was fairly the alternative: she insisted we didn’t depart till she had listened to each final part (in addition to replaying the one on the poop deck a number of occasions over!)
The narration builds up an image of occasions main as much as Nelson boarding the ship, the journey to satisfy the Franco-Spanish fleet, by means of to the Battle of Trafalgar till the Admiral’s demise after a sniper’s bullet, in addition to particulars about life on board – which was house to over 800 crew members.
Strolling by means of the comparatively luxurious captain’s cabin (designed to be remodeled at a second’s discover if the cannon have been wanted), the surgeon’s quarters, the strains of weapons beneath decks and the kitchens, there’s the whole lot from maps and drums to ornate rugs bringing Victory to life.
When you’ve explored inside, you possibly can even head down to have a look at Victory’s hull. You’re recommended to permit round an hour to go searching, which is roughly how lengthy we spent.
If you wish to be taught extra concerning the restoration challenge together with particulars of the challenges concerned, there’s additionally Victory Reside: The Large Restore, which takes you onto the scaffolding, together with a household path.
You may as well go to the Victory Gallery, which tells the ship’s full story past Trafalgar, with movie and artefacts plus interactive exhibitions. And to finish the set, the Nelson Gallery on the Nationwide Museum of the Royal Navy has extra on the Admiral’s life, together with his scandalous love life, triumphs and defeats.
HMS Warrior
With restricted time left to discover the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, our huge query was what else to slot in, as we weren’t in need of choices to complete our go to.
Torn between a harbour tour and the prospect to discover the dockyard’s third well-known ship, the massing clouds and the need to see the ship we’d noticed earlier that day from the highest of the Spinnaker Tower, meant that HMS Warrior received out.
The latest of the three nice ships at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, HMS Warrior was as soon as the world’s largest warship, the jewel of the Victorian Navy when she launched in 1860, and probably the most superior ship of her time.
Britain’s first iron-hulled, armoured battleship, she is steam-powered – though additionally has masts and sufficient sails to cowl 13 tennis courts!
In contrast to the opposite two ships, there isn’t an audio information or an enormous quantity of knowledge on board – as a substitute you be taught extra about HMS Warrior from the characters on board, from Victorian vacationers strolling on deck to the crew beneath.
Sadly, throughout our go to, there have been solely a few individuals round – maybe as a result of we have been exploring late within the day – so it did really feel like we most likely missed numerous the data accessible.
Whereas we bought a peek into the brig, with one character sharing some particulars on what might see you banged up within the cell, and noticed an engineer as we peered on the glow of the fires from the engine room, we didn’t stumble upon anybody else alongside the way in which.
It’s nonetheless spectacular to wander round although. The deck felt enormous by comparability to HMS Victory, with the masts towering above, though the hanging beds and sensible opulence of the captain’s quarters felt very acquainted.
We did spot a couple of enjoyable particulars as nicely, together with the yearly pay for various ranks – amusingly the paymaster ended up going house with the largest wage – and afternoon tea laid out for the officers, in addition to the communal tub with three tubs lined up subsequent to one another.
There was even a chart with tips about find out how to tie knots, and a menu with some reasonably unappealing dishes together with celery seed soup, or preserved potato. Positively someplace to revisit to find extra of Warrior’s tales.
Extra issues to see at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with youngsters
We might simply have stuffed our complete day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, and a second one too – and whereas we did handle to see all three well-known ships, the Mary Rose, HMS Victory and HMS Warrior, there was loads left together with the next sights.
Harbour excursions
After so lengthy exploring ships in dry dock and studying the tales of a few of the Navy’s most well-known moments, you will get on board your self with a harbour tour round Portsmouth harbour.
In addition to seeing town from the water, you can too get a take a look at a few of the trendy Navy’s ships up shut, together with frigates, destroyers and plane carriers, all based mostly in Portsmouth, with commentary from the harbour tour captain, plus extra tales from Portsmouth Historic Dockyard’s previous and current.
It’s price realizing that there aren’t any buggies or pushchairs allowed on board, though there’s a buggy park by Boathouse 4 close by, and excursions could also be cancelled if the climate is unhealthy. The excursions are included in Final Explorer tickets (otherwise you might be able to purchase particular person tickets on the day), and locations on board are restricted.
HMS M.33
HMS M.33 is without doubt one of the few surviving British First World Battle ships, inbuilt 1915 and the one British survivor of the Dardanelles Marketing campaign, together with the Gallipoli marketing campaign.
Guides on board share what life would have been like for these combating on the Jap Entrance, together with movie, exhibition and recreated cabins from the ‘fortunate ship’s’ wartime service.
Motion Stations: Commando Expertise
In case your youngsters need to burn off some power after exploring the opposite sights or fancy themselves as a future Royal Marine, Motion Stations is ideal, with loads of play and adrenaline-fuelled enjoyable within the journey zone.
For the smallest adventurers, there’s Sky Tykes, aimed toward youngsters aged 2-7 with rope bridges and stability beams, whereas for age 7+, there’s a 40m assault course designed to check pace, agility and stability – the report stands at 24 seconds!
Or when you’ve bought a head for heights, sort out the 8.4m climbing wall, with adjustable ranges of problem. Motion Stations is open at weekends and through Hampshire college holidays, whereas there’s additionally Laser Quest for an extra charge.
Nationwide Museum of the Royal Navy
The Nationwide Museum of the Royal Navy tells each the story of the Navy over the past 350 years and the women and men who’ve served over the past 100 years, each in peacetime and conflict.
There are some gruesomely fascinating information (why are there all the time so many weevils?), displays on the way in which the Navy has influenced communities around the globe, in addition to a gallery devoted to Admiral Lord Nelson.
Boathouse 4
Boathouse 4 focuses on the historical past and craft of boatbuilding, with consultants sharing their data, interactive shows and a group of historic small boats.
With data on the whole lot from 18th century cutter ships to Second World Battle submarines, it’s excellent in case your youngsters are fascinated by boats giant and small.
Dockyard Apprentice
Fairly than the ships, Dockyard Apprentice is all concerning the individuals who labored on the Dockyard over a century in the past, with touch-screen expertise and a few immersive recreations serving to you be taught their tales.
There are many probability to get fingers on, testing your knot-tying expertise and holding conventional ship-building instruments, because the Royal Navy’s Dreadnought class ships have been introduced from the drafting board to actuality. Entry is free for all guests.
Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport
The Royal Navy Submarine Museum is on the Dockyard’s second website in Gosport – you possibly can take a waterbus from the principle website to achieve it (scroll down for extra particulars) – the place guests can discover Second World Battle sub HMS Alliance, in addition to seeing the Royal Navy’s first submarine, HMS Holland 1, in addition to the tiny 15m lengthy X24.
In addition to peeking by means of working periscopes, you possibly can uncover what life was like at sea – or reasonably, underneath it – plus the half submarines have performed in British naval historical past.
Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower, Gosport
The Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower is dedicated to weapons and armaments – if it goes bang, it’s most likely right here.
Set at Priddy’s Laborious in Gosport, a website as soon as used to retailer munitions too harmful to be saved on the foremost dockyard, ships together with HMS Victory would have loaded their weapons and ammunition right here over the centuries, proper up till the Falklands Battle in 1982. You may as well spot missiles, torpedoes and listen to tales of these concerned in making them.
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard with youngsters: Must know
There are three tickets accessible for Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, together with a one-day single attraction choice (which additionally permits entry into a few of the smaller free sights) – helpful if in case you have very restricted time to discover.
In any other case, there are two 12-month choices, together with entry to a few sights (plus Motion Stations) and the Final Explorer Go, which provides you limitless entry to all of the Dockyard’s sights for the complete yr.
You may as well get discounted tickets through Tiqets when you e book utilizing my hyperlink, utilizing code MUMMYTRAVELS6, or tickets with free cancellation are additionally accessible on Get Your Information
The Final Explorer Go is barely dearer for kids, however the identical value for adults, so realistically, it’s price shopping for if in case you have a minimum of someday to discover and wish to see a couple of sight.
Opening hours fluctuate for the completely different websites and all year long – verify the main points upfront, because the Gosport websites should not all the time open 7 days every week.
There’s paid parking very near the Dockyard website in Portsmouth, otherwise you’re solely a brief stroll from Gunwharf Quays which additionally has a number of parking in its multi-storey automotive park. The Dockyard can also be strolling distance from Portsmouth Harbour railway station, and The Laborious bus interchange, plus a Park and Trip choice which stops right here too.
To journey between the principle Portsmouth website and the Gosport websites for the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, and Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower, there’s additionally a waterbus operating from Wednesday to Sunday between April and October. In Hampshire college holidays, it runs seven days every week whereas the Gosport sights are open each day, however exterior these occasions, the waterbus runs at weekends solely.
The timetable is accessible on-line and it’s included with an Final Explorer Ticket. There are restricted locations aboard, and the waterbus could not run in unhealthy climate. Solely umbrella fold stroller pushchairs are allowed on board; all different pushchairs and buggies will be left at one of many buggy parks at Boathouse 4, the Warrior jetty and on the pontoon.
There are a number of locations to get foods and drinks across the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard website, in addition to picnic areas if you wish to carry your personal meals. There are additionally bogs with child altering in varied areas across the website.
For extra issues to do in Hampshire with youngsters on a household vacation, in addition to days out in Portsmouth for households, try my high ideas
Disclosure: My entry to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard was free for the needs of evaluation – all opinions, together with a lifelong obsession with the Mary Rose, stay my very own. This put up incorporates affiliate hyperlinks – any purchases you make are unaffected however I’ll obtain a small fee
Photographs copyright MummyTravels
