Royal Marines Museum facts for kids
The Victorian boathouse at Portsmouth Dockyard which will open as the Royal Marines Experience Museum in 2026.
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| Established | October 1958 |
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| Location | Portsmouth Dockyard, Hampshire, England |
The Royal Marines Museum is a special place that tells the amazing story of the Royal Marines. These brave soldiers have been around since 1664! The museum is a registered charity. It also gets support from the Ministry of Defence. Since 2011, it has been part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy. The museum's main display areas have been closed since 2017. This is because they are moving to a new, exciting location.
History of the Museum
The museum first opened in October 1958. It was located at Eastney Barracks. This building was originally built in the 1860s. It was the main base for the Royal Marine Artillery. From 1972 until 2017, the museum's displays were in the Barracks' old officers' mess.
On October 28, 2008, the museum celebrated its 50th birthday. It won the Best Small Visitor Attraction of the Year award. This award was from Tourism South East. It recognized the museum's excellent exhibitions and great customer service.
Special Exhibitions
In March 2009, the museum opened the Beverley Gallery. This area was for special, changing exhibitions. The first exhibition was called Return to Helmand: The Royal Marines in Afghanistan. It was opened by Major General Garry Robison. He was the Commandant General Royal Marines.
Another exhibition ran from April to October 2010. It was called Griff – Thinker, Painter, Forger, Spy?. This exhibition celebrated the life of Captain Guy Griffiths. He was a Royal Marine pilot. The final special exhibition was named Commando Mind. It showed the mental strength Royal Marines use. This strength helps them achieve amazing things. They face many difficult challenges, both physical and mental.
Moving to a New Home
The museum's galleries at Eastney Barracks closed on April 1, 2017. This decision was made by John Rawlinson, the Director of the National Museum of the Royal Navy. The rooms at Eastney Barracks were still used as offices until the end of 2018.
A temporary display was set up at the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth. It is called 'The Making of the Royal Marines Commando'. This display shows how demanding the 32-week training course is for new Royal Marines.
The Royal Marines Museum is getting a new permanent home. It will be in a Victorian Boathouse building. This building is located at the Portsmouth Dockyard. The museum was originally planned to open there in 2020. However, they did not get a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Because of this, the opening was delayed.
The museum's reopening was helped by lottery funding of £4.6 million. The goal is to raise a total of £14 million. This money will be used to make the new site ready. The museum is now expected to reopen in the summer of 2026.
Museum Collections
The museum has a very large collection of medals. Over 8,000 medals were on display at Eastney Barracks. This includes all ten Victoria Crosses awarded to the Royal Marines. The Victoria Cross is the highest award for bravery in the British armed forces.
In September 2008, the museum bought a very rare medal. It cost £41,000. A large part of the money came from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. This medal was a Naval General Service Medal with a Trafalgar clasp. It was given to Lt Lewis Buckle Reeve. He was seriously injured at the Battle of Trafalgar. He was laid next to the dying Nelson on board HMS Victory. This special medal was displayed next to Lt Reeve's name in the Royal Marines Muster List for HMS Victory.
See also
- Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps
