Home | Visiting | Museums and public records

Museums and public records

Museums in Portsmouth - click again to hide video

See all BSL videos and get help with them

Museums in Portsmouth

Make a point of visiting any one of our five city museums, which together tell Portsmouth's story.

The City Museum tracks our history from prehistoric times to the modern era, hosting great exhibitions and events, and with a fine cafe and gift shop too.  Our Records Office here holds official city records and many other research resources going back to the 14th century.

Southsea Castle was built by Henry VIII and you can learn about Tudor life here. Close by is the D-Day Museum which marks the 1944 Normandy landings and the Second World War.  It's centrepiece is the magnificent Overlord Embroidery. 

The famous writer Charles Dickens was born in a modest house in1812. Discover the author's humble beginnings at the Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum.

Enjoy learning about the flora & fauna of our local area at Cumberland House Natural History Museum.  Exotic butterflies fly in the summer months in the butterfly house overlooking the museum garden. 

Eastney Beam Engine house is an impressive Victorian building containing a pair of classic Boulton Watt beam engines and pumps restored to their original 1887 condition.

Information about our museums

Arthur Conan Doyle Collection
Charles Dickens Birth Place
City Museum
City Records Office
D-Day Museum
Natural History Museum
Southsea Castle