Military Heritage in Hampshire

Hampshire has an abundance of military heritage sites to choose from, including castles, forts, regimental museums, historic houses and country parks, and is home to both the British Army at Aldershot and the Royal Navy at Portsmouth.

Hampshire's military heritage dates back to the Romans, and can be seen in the impressive Portchester Castle, overlooking the Solent, one of the best preserved Roman strongholds in northern Europe.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is one of the UK's top ten heritage attractions, including HMS Victory, HMS Warrior 1860, Harbour Tours and interactive Action Stations. You'll also find The Mary Rose Museum were you can explore the remains of Henry VIII’s favourite ship. A short walk away lies Gunwharf Quays, home to the 170m Spinnaker Tower offering a bird's eye view of the big ships. Or take the Gosport ferry across the water and walk on board a real submarine at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.

Winchester has six regimental museums, including those of the Royal Hampshire Regiment and the Gurkhas, while other fascinating histories can be traced at the Army Flying Museum at Middle Wallop and the Army Medical Services Museum at Mytchett.

Hampshire has had its fair share of military heroes, such as the Duke of Wellington, whose magnificent funeral carriage can be seen at the elegant Stratfield Saye House, and Lord Louis Mountbatten, whose distinguished life is celebrated at his family home of Broadlands in Romsey.

Children will love the gun firings, mock battles and explosive goings on at Royal Armouries Fort Nelson while at the Royal Marines Museum at Southsea they can try on uniforms and pit their wits against the jungle.

The British Army is based in Aldershot and the annual Aldershot Garrison Show is not to be missed, with spectacular arena displays, exhibitors and traders, as well as a grand displays of military vehicles and equipment. The Aldershot Military Museum traces the town's military history and is a firm favourite with families, with recreated barracks, a tank simulator and a training tunnel to try out.

All of Hampshire's Military Attractions are listed below. Why not build your own tour or look at the event page to see what’s going on at each attraction over the year. Throughout the year you'll find a number of events taking place at Hampshire's military zttractions including lectures, special exhibitions, family fun days and re-enactments.

Military Attractions in Aldershot and Farnborough (North Hampshire)

Aldershot is where the Victorians established a permanent camp for military manoeuvres during the Crimean War and since then it has been traditionally known as the "Home of the British Army". A number of regiments and corps, and their museums are based in the area. However, North Hampshire has had a military legacy stretching back to the Iron Age and the English Civil War. 

Aldershot has some great military attractions such as the Aldershot Military Museum where you can see tanks, canons and much more. The Aldershot Military Museum is situated on a active Army base giving visitors even more of an authentic experience.

Farnborough has become well known for its pioneering work, from the first powered flight in Britain in 1908 to the first car to go supersonic on land in 1997. The Farnborough Air Sciences Trust runs an aerospace museum where you can see photographs and exhibits from the early years of aviation. The museum is based in the historic listed building which houses the Royal Balloon School in days gone by.

Farnborough Abbey is where Napoleon III and his wife are buried. Today Farnborough places host to a biannual international air show which showcases some of today's most powerful military and commercial planes, jets and helicopters.

Military Attractions in Gosport & Fareham

Gosport is situated to the west of Portsmouth and was where the Navy stored there artillery. At it’s height over 6,500 barrels of gunpowder were stored at the Navy base in Gosport which was deemed far enough from the main dockyard in Portsmouth.  The last weapons supplied to the Royal Navy was during the Falklands war in 1982.

Gosport has two excellent museums, Explosion and the Submarine Museum, both of which can be visited independently or as part of the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard’s Full Navy Ticket.

Fareham borders Gosport and is home to the 19 acre Royal Armouries Fort Nelson. Discover guns and artillery from across the globe in this atmospheric setting.

Military Attractions in New Forest

The New Forest, famously created by William the Conqueror for medieval hunting, has long been associated with the military. During the second world war the New Forest played a vital role in the air attack on mainland Europe.  The New Forest was home to many hastily built  airfields.

Hurst Castle defended the western Solent from attack, Buckler’s Hard was where Nelson’s fleet was built, and Lepe Country Park saw the famous D-Day Mulberry Harbours launched from its shores.

Military Attractions in Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the traditional home of the Royal Navy and has a great naval legacy going back to Roman times. HMS Victory can be found at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and 11 other military attractions and exhibitions can be visited as part of your Portsmouth Historic Dockyard experience, truly an all day naval adventure. 

The D-Day Story can be found on Southsea seafront and is the only UK museum dedicated to telling the events of June 1944, a significant moment in history. 

Military Attractions in Southampton

Southampton was the home of the Supermarine the company which built the Spitfire, one of the most famous aircraft ever built. Solent Sky Museum tells the fascinating story of this magical warplane.

Florence Nightingale also had an important role in guiding the development of Royal Victoria Hospital on Southampton Water. Once the largest hospital in the country, the chapel remains housing a permanent exhibition, and the wider surroundings provide the popular Royal Victoria Country Park.

Military Attractions in the Test Valley

Test Valley borders Salisbury Plains which is home to the where the British Army carry training exercises at their training at the Defence Training Estate. It’s also has two museums including Army Flying Museum on the outskirts of Stockbridge, house a vast array of the aircraft within the museum and visitors can also view helicopters and planes from the live airfield next to the museum. 
 

Military Attractions in Winchester

Winchester has six regimental museums, including those of the Royal Hampshire Regiment and the Gurkhas, while other fascinating histories can be traced at the Army Flying Museum at Middle Wallop and the Army Medical Services Museum at Mytchett.