Explosion Museum Opens at Priddy's Hard

2001

The Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower opened in 2001 at Priddy's Hard, the former naval armaments depot on the harbour shore in northern Gosport. The museum occupies the restored magazine buildings where naval ammunition was stored and prepared for distribution to warships. Priddy's Hard had served this function since the eighteenth century, and the site includes some of the oldest surviving naval ordnance buildings in the country. The museum's collection covers the history of naval weaponry from the age of cannon and black powder through to modern missile systems. Interactive exhibits and restored displays bring the subject to life, and the setting in the original ammunition stores adds considerable atmosphere. The opening of the museum was part of a wider effort to find new uses for redundant military sites across the Gosport peninsula. Priddy's Hard has been partly redeveloped with housing alongside the heritage site, creating a mixed-use waterfront community. The museum provides educational programmes for schools and community groups, and it contributes to the cluster of naval heritage attractions that gives Gosport a distinctive tourism offer. Together with the Submarine Museum and the Discovery Centre, Explosion forms part of a heritage trail that links several key sites across the borough.

Context

Priddy's Hard was operational from the 1770s until the 1980s, making it one of the longest-serving naval ordnance depots in the country.

Impact

The museum helped to transform a redundant military site into a community asset and strengthened Gosport's position as a naval heritage destination.