Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth — Hampshire

Visit external websites concerning The History of Portsmouth Dockyard and information about the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust.

Former use (incl. architectural history)

The Dockyard was first established in 1212 by King John, and the world's first dry dock was constructed there in 1495. In the 18th and 19th centuries major developments took place, making the Dockyard a focal point of the industrial revolution and in its day one of the largest centres of manufacturing, heavy engineering and shipbuilding in the world. In 1985 the Historic Dockyard was partitioned from the working yard. It contains many historic buildings and dry docks and currently houses HMS Victory, Mary Rose, HMS Warrior and the Royal Naval Museum, which has its origins in the Dockyard Museum founded in 1911 and in the Victory Gallery, opened in 1938.

New uses

In 1985 the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust was set up by the Ministry of Defence to become landlord of the Historic Dockyard and draw together the buildings and ships (HMS Victory and the Mary Rose) on the 12 acre site into a co-ordinated enterprise. Since its foundation, the Trust has achieved over ten major building projects on the site from refurbishment of the many buildings to provision of a new visitor centre, security fencing and car parks. The development of the site continues and there are both major and minor plans in hand to develop the site further and update existing provisions. Since the Trust was established the following projects have been achieved:

Security Fencing (1987):

In consultation with the Ministry of Defence the Trust achieved security for the operational Naval Base through erection of sympathetically designed steel; fence and gates, which surround the Historic Dockyard.

Victory Gallery Reroofing (1988):

The Victory Gallery (1938), which forms the entrance to the Royal Naval Museum, was re-roofed entirely with copper following damage inflicted by the October 1987 hurricane.

Porter's Lodge Refurbishment (1993/4):

The original facade of the oldest surviving building in the Dockyard (1708) was restored by the removal of an unsightly single storey ground floor extension. The works also included reroofing and replacement of chimney stacks. The building now serves as offices for the various trusts on site at the Dockyard.

Cell Block Refurbishment (1993/4):

The Cell Block (1882), which occupies a prominent position at the entrance to the Historic Dockyard, was externally refurbished with a new parapet and chimney stacks. It is intended that this building will be used for an exhibition of law and order.

Acquisition of site for Historic Ships Car Park (1990/1):

Adequate car parking has been recognised as essential to any development of the Historic Dockyard. The Trust secured the 4.5 acre site in 1990, it has previously housed a brewery. The value of salvage material more than met the cost of demolition.

NO.7 Boathouse Conversion (1993/94):

This project brought together five design teams to convert the building to multi-uses including a 400 seat restaurant, adventure play facilities, an education area, an exhibition — the Dockyard Apprentice, and a gift shop. It received two awards: Portsmouth Society's Best Restoration of the year 1995, and the Portsmouth City Council Planning Committee's Good Planning & Conservation Award 1995.

NO.10 Storehouse Restoration and Reconstruction of the Clocktower (1991/92):

The clock tower, one of the dockyards most important landmarks, was destroyed during the blitz on Portsmouth in 1941. It was restored using pre-war photographs and the project received two awards: Europa Nostra for Restoration 1993 and Portsmouth Society's Best Restoration of the Year 1993.

NO.11 Storehouse Refurbishment and Conversion (1989-1991):

A casualty of the storm of 1987, NO.11 Storehouse was externally refurbished with the help of a grant from English Heritage. Works included a new lead and slate roof and dormer windows. A year later the first floor was converted to house the Royal Naval Museum's library, retaining an understanding of the original use of the building whilst creating a modern new use for it.

New Visitor Centre (1993/94):

This contemporary building was designed to echo some of the more striking features of the industrial buildings in the dockyard. It provides space for visitors to discover what is on offer, gather information, and purchase tickets; the rear section contains a gift shop for HMS Warrior.

Landing Jetty (1994):

This project provided a landing stage for harbour boat tours and boat trips. It enables visitors to land in the Historic Dockyard direct from the Isle of Wight.

Sources of funding

In 1995 the Trust published a strategy for the future development of the Historic Dockyard, the plan formed the basis of a successful bid for funds from the Millennium Commission.

Partners:

• Royal Navy
• Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust
• Mary Rose Trust
• HMS Warrior
• Royal Naval Museum
• Portsmouth Royal Dockyard Historical Trust
• Portsmouth City Council
• University of Plymouth

Supported by:

• English Heritage
• Southern Tourist Board
• English Tourist Board

Future prospects

Further developments are planned for the years to 2005 including projects for HMS Victory, a new car park, Block Mills project, display of 20th century vessels.