SouthseaScene

Portsmouth Museums service celebrates St George's Day with the launch of a new online portal and new websites The new websites allow the museum service to showcase all the exciting displays across all the museums and enable staff to show off specific items, exhibitions, displays, and events. A brand new 'Stories' section tells of the fascinating tales behind some of the collection items, detailing their histories or how they came to be in the museum's possession. Plus, members of the museum teams have a chance to show off some of their favourite items, and explain why they like them so much, in the new 'Staff Recommends' section. Later, the city's museum collections will also be available on the websites, allowing visitors to look through all the items held by the museum service. This covers all items, both on display and in storage, to allow visitors the chance to learn so much more about the thousands of items that have been donated to the service ...

Portsmouth City Council's Museum Service is 125 years old on 21 January 2020. On 21 January 1895 Portsmouth town council opened its very first museum - housed in the old Town Hall in the High Street, Old Portsmouth which stood next to what is now The Dolphin public house. In September 1904 the council purchased Charles Dickens Birthplace in Commercial Road and in 1931 Cumberland House was turned into a natural history museum with an art gallery. During the Second World War the museum building in Old Portsmouth was bombed and a large part of the collection was lost: Cumberland House became the main museum until new premises could be found. The 1960s and 1970s were a time of growth for the museums service - Southsea castle was purchased in 1960 and in 1972 a new city museum opened in the striking building on Museum Road, part of the former Clarence Barracks. Eastney Beam Engine House was also opened to the public as an industrial museum in 1972. The latest addition to ...