Gosport; Waterfront Trail - part 2

We continue past Gosport Marina and up to the Royal Clarence Yard, which was built in 1827 as a premier naval victualling establishment. Closed in 1994, the site with its large purpose built granary, bakery, slaughterhouse etc buildings (Grade II listed) is now undergoing major refurbishment for modern living and commercial / leisure use. The large Ceremonial Gate and accompanying Flagstaff Green are still as they were.

We cross the Millenium Bridge over Forton Lake (actually a tidal creek) to Priddy's Hard, a heritage area of Gosport which was an 18th century Ordnance Depot for weapons, explosives and other stores; a fitting place for the Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower, our final destination at the north end of the Waterfront Trail. The Grand Magazine, a Grade I listed building, used to hold 4,000 barrels of gunpowder, but now shows a video of the site's history. The exhibition tells the story of the people who worked there and the weapons they made. Very interssting, with lots of guns and missiles (including Exocet) on display.Read more