Portsmouth City Museum

Museum Road
Portsmouth
Hampshire
PO1 2LJ
England

Website

E-mail

mvs@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

education@portsmouthmuseums.co.uk

Telephone

023 9282 7261

Fax

023 9287 5276

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

The City is the museum of and for the people of Portsmouth. There are temporary exhibition galleries, which have a frequently changing parade of fascinating shows on a wide range of subjects.

The City Museum is dedicated to local history and fine and decorative art. 'The Story of Portsmouth' displays room settings showing life in Portsmouth from the 17th century to the 1950s using modern audio-visual techniques. Experience the different lifestyles of the Victorian working poor in the 'Dockyard Workers Cottage' and the affluent 'Victorian Parlour'. A 1930s kitchen with everything including the kitchen sink! A 1930s 'Art Deco' dining room and a 1950s front room complete with flying ducks on the wall and early television showing "Listen With Mother".

The 'Portsmouth at Play' exhibition looks at all aspects of leisure pursuits from the Victorian period to the 1970s. "What the Butler Saw" machines on the pier, a "Pennyfarthing" cycle and film archives from the 1930s and 1960s.

Our special exhibition ‘A Study in Sherlock’ looks at the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the context of Victorian and Edwardian England, his strong relationship with Portsmouth (where he wrote the first 2 Sherlock Holmes stories) and the creation and phenomenon that is Sherlock Holmes.

Narrated by Stephen Fry, the exhibition includes the opportunity to watch a new Sherlock Holmes mystery, become one of the Bakers Street Irregulars, listen to some of the stories and act them out using hand-puppets.

'Football in the City: A space in the heart of Portsmouth’ is a permanent new and exciting interactive gallery space devoted to the 'beautiful game'. Currently on display are rare items such as both footballs from the 1939 and 2008 FA Cup Finals.

Venue Type:

Museum, Gallery

Opening hours

Open Tuesday-Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays

Closed 24-26 December and 1 January

April - October 10.00am - 5.30pm
November - March 10.00am - 5.00pm

Admission charges

Free admission

Discounts

Museums Association

General services and facilities

Brochure or leaflet available with directions to museum
Pre-booking service for groups
Toilets
Cafeteria
Gardens open to public
Picnic area
Refreshments
Shop

Children and families

Activities for pre-school children
Events and resources for children and families
Baby changing facilities

Disability access

Induction loops in exhibition spaces
Large print information and/or interpretation
Touch exhibits
Parking for disabled available
Toilets for disabled
Wheelchair access to all public areas
Wheelchairs available for loan

Schools services and facilities

Direct teaching services for schools
Member of staff available with responsibility for education
Primary school education service available
Printed/audio-visual information available for schools
Secondary school education service available
Education facilities available
Reception and lunch facilities for educational groups

Research and adult learning

Adult lectures and courses held
Loan service
Mail order service available
Research facilities for academics
Study facilities

Commercial and hire services

Facilities for private functions and events
Meeting room available

Museum Road
Portsmouth
Hampshire
PO1 2LJ
England

Website

E-mail

mvs@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

education@portsmouthmuseums.co.uk

Telephone

023 9282 7261

Fax

023 9287 5276

Local History, Arthur Conan Doyle, Story of Portsmouth, Portsmouth at Play, No Place Like Pompey

Collection details

Archaeology, Costume and Textiles, Decorative and Applied Art, Fine Art, Natural Sciences, Social History, Maritime, Literature

Collections services

Object identification and/or written enquiry service
Specialist publications on collections available
Object study facilities available (enquire in advance)

Museum Road
Portsmouth
Hampshire
PO1 2LJ
England

Website

E-mail

mvs@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

education@portsmouthmuseums.co.uk

Telephone

023 9282 7261

Fax

023 9287 5276

Exhibition details are listed below, you may need to scroll down to see them all.

No Place Like Pompey

26 August 2011 — 26 August 2013 *on now

What makes Portsmouth unique?
Is it one particular place, the city’s geography, its past or its people? A new exhibition at the City Museum looks at some of the things that make "Pompey” special. These include the fact that most of Portsmouth lies on an island, the city’s links with the dockyard and the Royal Navy, and the fortifications that made Portsmouth one of the most heavily defended areas in the country.

“Pompey” is a local name for the city of Portsmouth. There are many stories about where the name came from, but the true origin is not certain.

Suitable for

Any age

Where

Portsmouth City Museum

Museum Road
Portsmouth
Hampshire
PO1 2LJ
England

Website

E-mail

mvs@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

education@portsmouthmuseums.co.uk

Telephone

023 9282 7261

Fax

023 9287 5276

Events details are listed below. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all. For events that don't have a specific date see the 'Resources' tab above.

Gallery talk on 'A Tale of One City'

12 February 2012

Join the Collections Manager for a special talk about the museums’ collections that link to the Dickens family and about life for people in Portsmouth at the time. Please arrive early to ensure your place. Includes Q&A.