Royal Marines Museum plans clear first hurdle for £4.9million Lottery funding bid

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has cleared the first hurdle in securing £4.9million towards the funding of the ‘Reimagining Boathouse 6’ project which will see the building - currently the home of Action Stations and No6 Cinema - turned into a new museum to take visitors on a compelling journey through four centuries of Royal Marines history.

Approval in this first round means the Lottery can now consider more detailed proposals at a second round, where a final decision is made on the full funding award. The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) has also secured funds and pledges of more than £6million, leaving it needing £3.5million to fully fund the project if the Lottery bid clears the second stage.

As previously reported by The News, the new space will be home to a new permanent special exhibition gallery, a Royal Marines Commando-themed Laser Quest Arena, as well as a newly integrated auditorium and conferencing and public programming facility. However until detailed designs are released it is not known if these will incorporate some of the more popular attractions at Actions Stations such as its climbing walls.

The multi-million pound museum will replace the one at Eastney Barracks was closed and sold off by the Ministry of Defence in 2017, although the Yompers Memorial currently remains in its original position at the entrance of of the museum’s former home. A planning application has since been submitted to convert the space into a hotel.

However, the new museum project stalled after a failure to secure the required funding. In the intervening years NMRN safeguarded the two million items from the Royal Marines collection in a specialist £2m state-of-the-art Collections Centre whilst it revisited its plans for a permanent exhibit for the Corp’s story.

The new museum will also add to the list of attractions which form part of the historic dockyard’s offerings which includes HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, the Royal Navy Submarine Museum with HMS Alliance, Explosion!, as well as the Mary Rose Museum which is operated by the Mary Rose Trust.

Matthew Sheldon chief executive officer for the Museum said: “The National Museum of the Royal Navy is ecstatic to have secured round one development funding for the reimagination of Boathouse 6. This project will bring a set of incredible new visitor experiences to the Dockyard enhancing our offer and encouraging visitors to return time and time again.

“Core to this is the opportunity to explore the experience of Royal Marines Commandos. This story is central to that of the Royal Navy and therefore to the purpose of the museum and we want to use the latest interpretative and digital techniques to really bring the endeavour, courage, and conflict inherent in that service experience to life.”

Stuart McLeod, director for England - London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, also express delight at being able to support ‘this important project’.

He said: “The Re-imagining Boathouse 6 project will ultimately deliver a world-class, immersive and experiential museum, preserving the important heritage of the Royal Marines for many generations to come. We know that heritage can play a huge role in bringing people together and creating a sense of pride in people’s hometowns and cities, and in turn boosting the local economy, and this museum will be a fantastic example of that. We look forward to working with the team to progress their plans to apply for a full grant at a later date.”

The National Museum of the Royal Navy has worked in partnership with representatives from the Royal Marines on the development of the project, keen to ensure that the new displays will reflect the reality of the modern service experience and not just the rich and varied heritage.

General Gwyn Jenkins, Commandant General Royal Marines said: “The ethos of the Royal Marines, so important to the morale and fighting spirit of the Corps, is built on the challenges, the achievements and the legacy of our forebears.  Today’s Royal Marine is the embodiment of the Commando Spirit - the Courage, the Determination, the Unselfishness, and the Cheerfulness in adversity - all learnt from their predecessors and the Museum is a vital part of that inheritance.  The Museum will create a sense of place where members of the Royal Marines Family can connect with their history and each other.” 

The project still requires £3.5M funds to be realised and the museum is actively seeking further support to realise the full ambitions of the project. Further information is available on www.nmrn.org.uk.