Portsmouth Museum is a local museum in Museum Road in the city of Portsmouth, southern England. It is one of six museums run by Portsmouth Museums, part of Portsmouth City Council. The museum is housed in a Grade II listed building.
Here you can take a walk through Portsmouth’s heritage, discover the world of Sherlock Holmes, see fascinating works of art, trace the history of Portsmouth FC and a whole load more besides.
Entry to Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery is free.
Collections and stories
Take a look through the Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery collection, to see the vast array of paintings, sculpture, artefacts and more that we have both on display at the museum and in storage.
Here you can also learn all about our building’s fascinating history, with developments on this site going back centuries.
This section is also home to Staff Recommends, where we’ve highlighted some of the best items on display that it may be quite easy to miss. It’s not only a great insight into the favourite items of the people who work with the items and see them every day, but also immensely varied.
If you want to delve a little deeper into the tales behind some of our items, take a read through their Stories. This section showcases the most intriguing and exciting stories behind many of our pieces – the likes of which can be just as interesting as the items themselves.
Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery is open Tuesday – Sunday.
April – September: 10am – 5.30pm
October – March: 10am – 5pm.
Museum access
Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery has a lift to all galleries across its three floors.
There are wheelchairs available for visitors to use and disabled parking spaces available.
Induction loops for hearing impaired visitors are installed both at reception and the Victorian Parlour.
There are accessible toilets and baby change facilities on site.
Guide dogs, hearing dogs and assistance dogs wearing appropriate tabards are permitted in all galleries. Non-assistance dogs are not allowed in the building but can be walked on leads in the gardens.
Important information for visitors with mobility impairments
The first and second floors can be accessed by the lift. In the unlikely event of the museum being evacuated and the lift being unavailable, visitors would have to descend using staircases.
Due to fire and safety procedures, visitors with a mobility impairment who cannot use the staircases are limited to one visitor at any time on the first and second floors. To facilitate your visit we have an Evac+Chair as well as a trained member of staff available. The visitor should be able to transfer themselves, or with the help of a carer, to the Evac+Chair and not exceed 23 stone (146kg) in weight.
If you have a condition that might restrict your ability to use the stairs in an emergency please mention this in confidence to a member of staff at the reception desk at the start of your visit. Arrangements can then be put in place to ensure your speedy and safe evacuation should such an emergency occur.
