There’s more to Action Stations than you think…
Action Stations at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is now offering special interest tours focusing on the fascinating history of the historic building, Boathouse No. 6.
Lasting approximately two hours, the tours focus on the history of Boathouse No.6, from construction in 1848 until the installation of the present Action Stations attraction in 2001.
Boathouse 6 was designed by Lieutenant Roger Beatson, Royal Engineers, Portsmouth Dockyard’s Superintendent of Civil Engineering Work, and built between 1845 and 1848. It was used for the building, repair and storage of small ships’ boats. These were pulled up one of the three slipways outside the front of the building from the Mast Pond by hand using block and tackle, and then brought into the building through large wooden doors. Some of the rings used still survive along the front of the building and set into the ground floor. The building was in use as a boathouse until the Portsmouth Blitz in March 1941, when a bomb destroyed much of the rear part. A temporary patch was added to make the building serviceable and was not replaced until the conversion into Action Stations in the late 1990s.
All this history and more can be seen throughout the building and this specialist tour will encourage visitors to view Action Stations in a way they have never done before. They may also discover that walls really can talk and tell their own unique story…
Tours will begin in either Boathouse No.7 or the Mezzanine Café with a complimentary tea or coffee upon arrival before a guided tour of the building.
Special interest tours are priced at £7.50 per person (4-10 people) and £5.50 per person (11+ people). Alternatively, if looking for something a little more special, then Action Stations can provide exclusive evening tours at £10.50 per person, giving private access to the building after normal opening hours. All tours are a minimum of 4 people per tour and include entry to the Action Stations attraction.
Please note all tours must be booked a minimum of 72 hours in advance.
Some areas within the tour are not accessible by a lift.
For further details on the specialist tours or to book please contact the Action Stations Operations Manager on: (023) 9289 3318 or email: enquiries@actionstations.org
Also available at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is the world famous HMS Victory, one of the UK’s leading maritime museums – the National Museum of the Royal Navy, HMS Warrior 1860 – the first iron-hulled ship powered by steam and sail, the Mary Rose Museum[i] and a Harbour Tour. For further details, please contact 023 9283 9766 or visit the website www.historicdockyard.co.uk.
