A new £15 million Royal Marines immersive museum opens next month

The old Royal Marines Museum in Portsmouth closed nearly 10 years ago. The plan was that it would move to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, which is already home to the Royal Naval Museum and a fleet of historic vessels including the Mary Rose and the HMS Victory. Next month, that’ll finally actually happen. 

The new £15m museum is called the Royal Marines Experience and it will open inside the dock’s the historic 1840s Grade II-listed Boathouse 6 at the end of October. 

Displays will reveal the 360-year story of the Marines and focus on its ethos and operations, as well as its physical and mental demands. Through hands-on activities, multimedia displays and immersive technology and objects, visitors will learn about what it takes to become a Marines Commando.

Exhibits include all 10 Victoria Crosses that have been awarded to the Royal Marines, a medal presentation box given to Marine David Davidson by his husband Ernest and the Royal British Legion, and a briefing model that was built in secret in 2003 and used to plan an attack on the Al Faw peninsula. Elsewhere, visitors can get stuck into a Royal Marines Commando themed Laser Quest. 

In addition to all of that, there’s a purpose-built special exhibition space with will be one of the biggest temporary exhibition spaces in the south of England. Its first show will be Through Their Eyes – The Royal Navy Photographic Competition, which will launch the same day of the museum’s opening. 

Matthew Sheldon, CEO of Royal Navy Museums, said: ‘We want this to feel like a museum you can step into, not simply look at. Most of us will never know what it takes to earn and wear the green beret of the Royal Marines Commandos, but the new Royal Marines Experience will bring visitors closer to the tests of training, the reality of deployment and the humour, teamwork and resilience that run through the Corps.

‘We want people to leave with a deeper understanding of the people who serve, and with a sense that they have shared in a story that belongs to the nation.’

Royal Navy Museums: Royal Marines Experience opens on October 24. Entrance is included with an annual Portsmouth Historic Dockyards ticket, which costs £51 for adults. 

Check out Time Out’s guide to the 20 best museums in the UK in 2026.