Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan has welcomed a £6.4 million injection for the new museum for the Royal Marines at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £4.4m to transform the boathouse, with the Royal Navy contributing £2m this year to push the project forward.
Mr Morgan who was a patron of the fundraising appeal and lobbied for the funding said the announcement brings the creation of the new £15 million museum one step closer.
The city MP, who also brought key stakeholders to the site to show the ambition of the project, said the new museum would be a “treasure trove” on all things Royal Marines and long overdue with the artefacts being stored in archives for so long.
The Royal Marines have been without a building to tell their 360-year-long story since their former museum in Eastney closed in 2017 after it was deemed to be in need of urgent renovation – and, above all, unsuited to meeting the expectations of museum visitor in the mid-21st-Century.
The boathouse which for quarter of a century has hosted the Action Stations exhibit is undergoing a circa £15m transformation to turn it into a new Royal Marines Experience for the public to enjoy interactive displays and activities which bring the rich history of the Corps to life for future generations.
The new display will take visitors on a compelling journey through four centuries of Royal Marines history – from the creation of its forerunner in 1664 to today.
Commenting on the announcement, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“The Royal Marines have played such an important part in our city and nation’s history. It is only right that they have a museum which properly illustrates this and ensures their story is heard.
“That is why I have long campaigned for the investment needed to put this museum where it deserves to be – Portsmouth Historic Dockyard where it would be a treasure trove on all things Royal Marines.
“I am delighted that Lottery funding has now been secured bringing us one step closer to making this brilliant project a reality.”
