Royal Marines Museum

The Royal Marines Museum was once housed in the former officers’ mess of Eastney Barracks, a 19th-century headquarters built for the Royal Marine Artillery. From 1958 until 2017 it told the story of the Corps, tracing their origins back to 1664. In 2011 it became part of the National Museum of the Royal Navy. The Beverley Gallery opened in 2009 to host rotating exhibitions on subjects such as the Royal Marines in Afghanistan and the life of Captain Guy Griffiths. Major General Garry Robison opened the first special exhibition, marking the museum’s 50th year with a regional tourism award. Among its displays were more than eight thousand medals, including every Victoria Cross awarded to the Corps. A rare Naval General Service Medal with a Trafalgar clasp was bought in 2008 for £41,000 and shown beside the recipient’s entry in the muster list. The Medal Room held these honours alongside other regimental records. After the galleries closed in 2017, the rooms remained in use as offices and a hospitality space until the end of 2018. A temporary commando training display appeared at Action Stations in the Historic Dockyard. Plans for a permanent exhibition in a Victorian boathouse were delayed by funding issues but later secured £4.6 million from the National Lottery. The new museum is expected to open on 24 October 2026 in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, restoring the Royal Marines’ story to the waterfront site.