Portsmouth Historic Dockyard have opened to the public following a £4.5 million renovation led by architects Purcell and project managers Artelia.
The opening coincides with the centenary of the First World War. The Galleries house a major new permanent exhibition; ‘Hear My Story’, which tells 100 years of life in the Navy and covers the personal stories from those who served at sea.
The Babcock Galleries are housed within an 18th century naval storehouse. Storehouse 10 is a Grade I listed brick and timber framed building. Before major works were carried out the brickwork, which had suffered from erosion, was repaired and the timbers were stripped back. One of its most significant characteristics is the building’s floor, which in certain areas is made up of Spanish ship’s timbers. A raised floor has been installed above the timbers to protect them and glass vision panels inserted so that they can still be viewed. This fully reversible solution creates a void for all services to run beneath the floor and ensures level access.