Bid to restore historic diving museum in Gosport given a hige financial boost

The planned restoration of the Diving Museum in Gosport has been given a boost after the attraction was given a grant by the county council.
By Natalia Forero
Published 18th Mar 2024, 12:54 GMT
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Under the community grant scheme, Hampshire County Council has awarded the Historical Diving Society £15,000 to restore the attraction which suffers from water leaks and damp issues and is housed at No. 2, Battery in Stokes Bay Road. This follows grants totalling £750,000 from Historic England and Arts Council England towards a redevelopment project.

The museum, in the grade II-listed building which was built in the 1860s primarily to defend against a sea-borne attack, opened in 2001. It is currently closed but plans to reopen next summer, and is the only museum of its kind in the UK.

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Batteries No.1 and 2 were built in the Stokes Bay area of Gosport, primarily to defend against a sea-borne attack, and are located at the north-west end of the Stokes Bay Lines. They were part of a system of ramparts, moats and batteries built in the 1860s. The building is partly in use as The Diving Museum.Batteries No.1 and 2 were built in the Stokes Bay area of Gosport, primarily to defend against a sea-borne attack, and are located at the north-west end of the Stokes Bay Lines. They were part of a system of ramparts, moats and batteries built in the 1860s. The building is partly in use as The Diving Museum.
Batteries No.1 and 2 were built in the Stokes Bay area of Gosport, primarily to defend against a sea-borne attack, and are located at the north-west end of the Stokes Bay Lines. They were part of a system of ramparts, moats and batteries built in the 1860s. The building is partly in use as The Diving Museum.
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Kevin Casey, the museum director and vice chair of the Historical Diving Society (HDS), welcomed the grant. He thanked the county council leader, Cllr Rob Humby, for trusting the project and indicated that support would strengthen future grant applications. Mr Casey said: “The funding from Hampshire is that particular bit of work, but we will have a repair building. It means we all have increased the life of the building. We’re we are restoring a piece of Gosport heritage and history that played a crucial part in the coastal defences of Gosport and Portsmouth Harbour.

“It is extremely important that Hampshire supports us. It’s very hard to quantify. We are a volunteer organisation with little money. This is a great help and fantastic. It is so important to the big funders to see that a county council and our local borough council support us. It all adds up, and we’re going for more grants, and now we can say, ‘Look, Hampshire County Council supported us’. The financial support helps relieve our burden of trying to find money, but it also looks good to other funders. The fact that Hampshire County Council thinks we’re good enough to fund means that other funders will follow. So huge thanks to the Leader of Hampshire County Council for trusting in our project and thinking our project is great for Hampshire and Gosport.”

The HDS aims to improve the internal environment for the storage and display of the collection and provide better access for the public. To do so, grants from Arts Council England and Historic England have been awarded to open the remaining two-thirds of No.2 Battery, ensuring the museum is accessible and usable. Works include installing an air source heat pump to help manage humidity and water ingress, installing a ventilation system to control air movement within the building and repairing holes.

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Renovation work on the Gosport Diving Museum has moved forwards with three new planning applications submitted to add addtional signage and utilise more areas of the Grade II listed building.Renovation work on the Gosport Diving Museum has moved forwards with three new planning applications submitted to add addtional signage and utilise more areas of the Grade II listed building.
Renovation work on the Gosport Diving Museum has moved forwards with three new planning applications submitted to add addtional signage and utilise more areas of the Grade II listed building.

In addition, work will include restoring and conserving historic features throughout the building, such as the nuclear blast doors from the period the building was Gosport’s Cold War nuclear bunker and installing an external ramp at the entrance to the building and an internal platform lift, internal ramps to accommodate changes in floor levels and create an accessible emergency exit at the rear. Once completed, it will enable the museum to move to phase two, which includes submitting a bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. If the bid is successful, they will be allowed to open the museum to the public in 2025.

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Mr Casey said: “We are saving the history and heritage of Gosport in a way that shows to the wider country how important Gosport was to the realm over the centuries. I just hope the Gosport residents support us in making this an important site. It’s in a fantastic location, and if we achieve all that we’re trying to achieve, it’ll be a great venue for Gosport residents to visit, bring their children to, and learn about. Gosport is a home of diving, and it’s where John Dean [the inventor] invented the first diving helmet. He lived here for ten years.

In gratitude to the leader of the Hampshire council, Mr Casey invited Cllr Humby to show him all the Hampshire and the Gosport heritage once the museum opened. Mrs Casey said: “I’m very happy to show him around when it’s all complete. He is more than welcome to visit the project when it’s finished so we can see it all properly and in all its glory.”

Related topics:GosportHampshire County CouncilHampshireHistoric England