Gosport Museum and Art Gallery

About

From a museum to an art gallery, historical research and play for the under fives, Gosport Museum and Art Gallery is a hive of activity for the whole community.

Alongside exhibitions that showcase the very best of local and national art, Gosport Museum and Art Gallery runs a programme of talks, workshops, events and hands-on activities. Gosport Museum showcases the town's rich heritage, while the café offers a selection of locally-sourced food, drinks and light refreshments. The venue also runs well-established and unique curriculum-linked science and history sessions for schools on site.

Located in the town’s Old Grammar School, which has been a hub for education and culture for over 100 years, the Grade II listed building listed building underwent a major, £1.4 million refurbishment project in 2022, transforming it into Gosport Museum and Art Gallery, a cultural hub for the whole community. The refurbished building blends history, heritage, arts, education and culture all under one roof, along with a community gallery, play gallery for under fives, learning rooms and a café, which provides a unique meeting space in and for the community.

Gosport Museum

The museum at Gosport Museum and Art Gallery was created by the community for the community. Over a number of months during the 2022 refurbishment, members of community groups from across Gosport came together to choose objects and stories to feature in the museum. The museum is now a place where the community can enjoy remembering a shared past and learn something new. Alongside a brief history of the town, there is a range of objects on display,

including a 1939 Osborn Engineering Company (OEC) motorcycle, while themes covered by the community stories include leisure and entertainment, Gosport’s contribution to national events, transport, the caring community, the changing High Street and sport.

Gosport Gallery

Gosport Gallery is a bright and welcoming exhibition space located is a bright and welcoming exhibition space located in the former assembly hall of the historic Gosport Old Grammar School. It hosts a wide variety of temporary exhibitions, ranging from touring exhibitions from national lenders to exhibitions that have been curated or commissioned especially for the Gallery.

Play Gallery

The wonderful Play Gallery is an interactive, sensory space for the under fives and their parents or carers. The Play Gallery is a first introduction to galleries for small children, focusing on colour, line, shape, and texture and every month, Galleries for Beginners sessions take place with additional making resources and activities. There is also access to a quiet and private baby feeding space.

The Display Space

The Display Space is a gallery in Gosport Museum and Art Gallery that is dedicated to exhibitions that celebrate local art and history. Here, you will be able to see the very best of art from local creatives on display, as well as find out more about the history of the borough through a rolling programme of temporary exhibitions.

Research room

If you want to find out more about Gosport and the surrounding area, you can book an appointment to use the research room. Here, you will have access to our collections, including maps, photographs and books.

Shop

Sat next to the café, Gosport Museum and Art Gallery’s shop features locally produced and crafted goods including cards, prints, gifts and preserves, supporting local makers and creatives.

Landscaped courtyard

Take a stroll in the beautiful, landscaped courtyard, which is also the perfect spot to enjoy refreshments from the café. Here, you'll be able to see the hundreds of tiles which were donated by people from in and around Gosport in support of the refurbishment of Gosport Museum and Art Gallery in 2022.