Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery
Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Fantastic local museum, if you are local and haven't been it's a great idea to check it out - it's free! First thing, it is 100% wheelchair accessible as far as I can see, there is a lift to the upper floors and gently sloping ramps around the exhibits, as well as some onsite parking. Second, this is perfect for kids. Plenty of interactive exhibits, some drawing, some touchy-feely, some video watching there's plenty to do if the kids enjoy a museum environment. As it's Easter there is an Easter hunt going on, with chicks in various exhibits and a maritime themed search for little crochet/knit creatures as well. The ground floor has a Sherlock Holmes/Sir Arthur Conan Doyle exhibit which is thorough while being a little bit dark - I assume to protect the items? The second floor has examples of house interiors (complete with some semi-creepy models of people) as well as history of Portsmouth. Up top there is decorative arts (closed for renovation), football and the 'collections'. While some of the interactive buttons don't work, small kids probably won't mind and there's enough stuff to look at overall. And if it's sunny there's a little outdoor area as well. The cafe is very small, and quite loud however that is to be expected. The shop is well appointed and has a nice variety of goodies if you are so inclined. There is some parking onsite, and some paid parking directly on the road. About 7-10 minute walk away around the Norfolk Street area there is on-street parking 3 hours for free, no return within 4 hours.
R DR D
00
For free entry this place is worth it. Nice museum to kill a couple of hours on a quiet day. Would have been 5 stars except some of the victorian arcade machines were defective. I understand that they are old, and old things break but you do have to pay to use them and surely that money should be fed back into their repair. The other possibility is that more care is taken with them. Now you may ask how can you prevent damage occurring in interactive displays that are open to the public. Easy control of the kids! There is a sign on the entrance warning that all children must be supervised by adults and when I entered the retro games console area it was full of kids running around with no supervision, dragging chairs around and launching controllers. Clearly this is the responsibility of the parents however you don't expect to see museum staff walk past this behaviour without saying anything or is that not their job?
Chris MullanChris Mullan
20
Considering this place is free, easily one of the best museums for miles. To start with, the building itself is beautiful. The Victorian style is similar to the National History Museum in London and is very impressive. The staff are incredibly helpful. The Sherlock Holmes museum was my main focus and it had a huge range of detailed exhibits. The modern art exhibits were impressive as well. It was really interesting following the museum through and seeing the Portsmouth homes through the ages. A lovely place to visit. Probably minimum of one hour but ideally 2-3 hours to see everything.
James ValenteJames Valente
20
I love this museum. Its so quirky and the building is beautiful. The Arthur Conan Doyle exhibit is fascinating and the different gallery installations are a great way of learning about new and modern local artists. I always learn something new in the Portsmouth history section too. The staff are friendly, and have a sense of humour about the constant cleaning etc due to Covid. The sea pollution installation was innovative and has stuck with me - I want to find a way of making it mobile to share with my beachschool students. It's a lovely, peaceful, free experience in Portsmouth.
Luschka van OnselenLuschka van Onselen
20
Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery is housed in a Grade II listed building, which was previously a part of Clarence and Victoria barracks (already demolished apart of the Museum's building) The museum includes a display on the author Arthur Conan Doyle and his fictional creation, the detective Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Collection is one of the most wide-ranging in the world. It includes first editions of books, related letters, film and television memorabilia. Also there is a lovely cafe to visit at the end of the museum tour 😊
Maryna K.Maryna K.
10
Splendid city and regional museum that shows over 500 years of city history from nautical, silversmithing, and even saxon artefacts. The museum has a special exhibit on all things Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and shows the Pompey pride. There is no charge for admission and the museum operates on donations and a bit of National Lottery funding. Well worth a visit - especially if you like Sherlock Holmes, silversmithing, or are interested in what every day life was like in the 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s.
Saoirse Ní CheandaillSaoirse Ní Cheandaill
40
Nearby Attractions Of Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery
Gunwharf Quays
Spinnaker Tower
Clarence Pier
Southsea Common
The Queens Hotel Portsmouth
Round Tower
New Theatre Royal
Portsmouth Cathedral
St. John’s Cathedral
Royal Garrison Church
Gunwharf Quays
4.4
(12.2K)
Click for details
Spinnaker Tower
4.6
(3.9K)
Click for details
Clarence Pier
4.2
(2.1K)
Click for details
Southsea Common
4.6
(2.1K)
Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery
Slug & Lettuce - Portsmouth
Zizzi - Portsmouth
Portsmouth Guildhall
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel - JD Wetherspoon
The Still & West, Old Portsmouth
All Bar One Portsmouth
Ship Anson
The Old Customs House, Gunwharf Quays
Las Iguanas - Portsmouth - Gunwharf Quays
Nando's Portsmouth
Slug & Lettuce - Portsmouth
4.4
(2.5K)
Click for details
Zizzi - Portsmouth
4.7
(1.8K)
Click for details
Portsmouth Guildhall
4.3
(1.8K)
Click for details
The Isambard Kingdom Brunel - JD Wetherspoon
4.0
(1.7K)
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Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
Museum Rd, Portsmouth PO1 2LJ, United Kingdom
Map
Phone
+44 23 9283 4779
Call
Website
portsmouthmuseum.co.uk
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.5
(497 reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
family friendly
accessibility
Description
Portsmouth Museum is a local museum in Museum Road in the city of Portsmouth, southern England. It is one of six museums run by Portsmouth Museums, part of Portsmouth City Council. The museum is housed in a Grade II listed building.
attractions: Gunwharf Quays, Spinnaker Tower, Clarence Pier, Southsea Common, The Queens Hotel Portsmouth, Round Tower, New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth Cathedral, St. John’s Cathedral, Royal Garrison Church, restaurants: Slug & Lettuce - Portsmouth, Zizzi - Portsmouth, Portsmouth Guildhall, The Isambard Kingdom Brunel - JD Wetherspoon, The Still & West, Old Portsmouth, All Bar One Portsmouth, Ship Anson, The Old Customs House, Gunwharf Quays, Las Iguanas - Portsmouth - Gunwharf Quays, Nando's Portsmouth
