About

Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery is the museum of and for the people of Portsmouth, featuring exciting and varied displays.

In the Story of Portsmouth you can discover how life at home has changed over the generations, with reconstructions of a 17th century bedchamber, an 1871 dockyard worker's kitchen, a Victorian parlour, a 1930s kitchen and a 1950s living room. The story continues with 'Portsmouth at Play', on the beach, in the cinema, on the football field and dance floor. The Fine and Decorative Art Gallery features a wide range of material from the 17th century to the present day.

A Study in Sherlock explores the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the creation of his most famous character. It features a range of interactive displays, a ‘new’ Sherlock Holmes mystery, and narration by Stephen Fry, the Patron of the Collection. Come and experience the world of Sherlock Holmes and fine-tune your own powers of detection!

Find out more about Arthur Conan Doyle here.

Football in the City is an exciting permanent gallery space devoted to the beautiful game. Currently on display are rare items such as both footballs from the 1939 and 2008 FA Cup Finals.

No Place Like Pompey considers the question of what makes Portsmouth unique. Is it one particular place, the city’s geography, its past or its people? The exhibition examines the fact that most of Portsmouth lies on an island, the city’s links with the dockyard and the Royal Navy, and the fortifications that made Portsmouth one of the most heavily defended areas in the country.

Magnifying Sherlock allows you to turn detective at Portsmouth Museum and follow the trail of the ultimate sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, and his creator Arthur Conan Doyle, who lived and worked in Portsmouth. Download this thrilling free experience as you follow in the footsteps of Sherlock on a navigational trail. Use your smartphone to stream the trail, or hire out an iPod from the City Museum reception desk. If you borrow an iPod you will be required to show photo ID such as a driver's licence.

As well as the above permanent exhibitions, a regularly changing programme of displays in the Temporary Exhibition Gallery ensures that there is always something to see or do.