Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

Lego Museums visited the historic dockyard on the 25th April 2014. The Portsmouth Historic Dockyard contains a number of attractions and historic naval ships. These all include HMS Warrior, HMS Victory, National Museum Royal Navy Portsmouth and the Mary Rose Museums.

The first place we visited in the Dockyard was the famous iron armoured warship, HMS Warrior. Launched in 1860, it was the pride of the Victorian fleet. Powered by steam and sail. She was Britain's first iron-hulled, armoured warship. With all this, making her the largest, fastest and most powerful ship of her day. Even so after a few years she sadly became obsolete.

Will is about to go abroad upon the HMS Warrior.

Now restored and sailed back home to Portsmouth, the Warrior serves as a museum to the Victorian industrial age and sea warfare. This is a great ship to even to see from the outside but even better inside with all its armaments and interior.

Moving on to the National Museum Royal Navy Portsmouth, which is farther up the dockyard placed in this lovely historic buildings. These builds hold many exhibits about the Royal Navy through-out history. The recently re-opened on was the Hear My Story gallery. The exhibition tells the undiscovered personal stories from real men and women who lived the naval history over 100 years. You and discover these stories through many interactive touch screens and their own items they have left behind.

Will looking through the Hear My Story Exhibit at the National Museum Royal Navy Portsmouth.

The other exhibits and galleries at this large museum was Race to War Exhibition, the Victory Gallery, the Nelson Gallery and the Sailing Navy Gallery. Looking at the Race to War Exhibition, this is to commemorate the First World War. Telling the stories of the war by sea and years of peace, the arms race with Germany and the naval leadership of Winston Churchill. Moving to the Victory Gallery, which looks at the story of the famous ship, HMS Victory. This looks from the day she was launched, 1759 to the day she was restored. This goes through the many stories of the people who lived and died on her when she was in service. Going to the Nelson Gallery, this houses a large number of Nelson objects that contrasts his public hero with his private life. Now with the Sailing Navy Gallery, housed in a lovely 18th Century Naval storehouse. With the building itself can tell the visitors a story was well as what is inside the galleries; with the original floor are made of the timbers captured from French and Spanish ships. The exhibit gives a new light on the Sailing Navy.

Slightly moving on, to the famous naval sailing ship, HMS Victory. The jewel of naval history as being the ship that lead the Battle of Trafalgar by being the flagship and accompanied with Lord Nelson in 1805. This beautiful ship shows what was life like on board a 18th Century ships and where Nelson fell and died during the Battle of Trafalgar. With the reconstructed interior of the ship really makes the visitor feel to have gone back in time.

Will is boarding the famous HMS Victory.

Will is living the history aboard the Victory.

FIRE!!!

Finally looking at the NEW Mary Rose Museum that contains the 500 year old Tudor ship is a amazing museum. The architecture of the building works with the ship itself. The Mary Rose fits in perfectly within the building and its historic dry-dock where it has been ever since it was raised in 1982. Re-discovered in 1972 it took them ten years to excavate the ship and it's artefacts of about 19,000. With all these artefacts are now next to the hull of the ship which help the visitors understand the life on board this historic ship that sank on 19th July 1545 during the Battle of the Solent. As many of the museums within the Dockyard it has a number of interactive screens that people can use to learn about the ship while having fun at the same time. After being under the sea and silt for over 400 years it was found by Alexander McKee and then raised by Margret Rule. After it was raised and placed in the dock it has been going through about 30 years of conservation. Now it is in its last stages of conservation the new museum was opened in 31st May 2013. This painstaking conservation should be finished in about 2016 or 2017 when all the walls of the case of the ship will be taken down so visitors will be able to view the ship with no interruptions.

Will is having a good look a the Tudor Warship the Mary Rose.