Military Attractions in Hampshire

Whether you’re interested in the World Wars, aircraft, ships, artillery, or perhaps the life and services of military personnel or the technology they used. Hampshire's Military Attractions provide a fascinating insight into the county's military past. 

All of Hampshire's Military Attractions are listed below. Why not build your own tour or look at the event page to see what’s going on at each attraction over the year. Throughout the year you'll find a number of events taking place at Hampshire Military Attractions including lectures, special exhibitions, family fun days and re-enactments.

For special offers and discounts for a number of attractions head over to the discount vouchers page. 
 

Military Attractions in Aldershot and Farnborough (North Hampshire)

Aldershot is where the Victorians established a permanent camp for military manoeuvres during the Crimean War and since then it has been traditionally known as the "Home of the British Army". A number of regiments and corps, and their museums are based in the area. However, North Hampshire has had a military legacy stretching back to the Iron Age and the English Civil War.  Aldershot has some great military attractions such as the Aldershot Military Museum where you can see tanks, canons and much more.  The Aldershot Military Museum is situated on a active Army base giving visitors even more of an authentic experience.

Farnborough has become well known for its pioneering work, from the first powered flight in Britain in 1908 to the first car to go supersonic on land in 1997. The Farnborough Air Sciences Trust runs an aerospace museum where you can see photographs and exhibits from the early years of aviation. The museum is based in the historic listed building which houses the Royal Balloon School in days gone by. Farnborough Abbey is where Napoleon III and his wife are buried. Today Farnborough places host to a biannual international air show which showcases some of today's most powerful military and commercial planes, jets and helicopters.

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Military Attractions in Gosport & Fareham

Gosport is situated to the west of Portsmouth and was where the Navy stored there artillery. At it’s height over 6,500 barrels of gunpowder were stored at the Navy base in Gosport which was deemed far enough from the main dockyard in Portsmouth.  The last weapons supplied to the Royal Navy was during the Falklands war in 1982.

Gosport has two excellent museums, Explosion and the Submarine Museum, both of which can be visited independently or as part of the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard’s Full Navy Ticket.

Fareham borders Gosport and is home to the 19 acre Royal Armouries Fort Nelson.  Discover guns and artillery from across the globe in this atmospheric setting.

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Military Attractions in New Forest

The New Forest, famously created by William the Conqueror for medieval hunting, has long been associated with the military. During the second world war the New Forest played a vital role in the air attack on mainland Europe.  The New Forest was home to many hastily built  airfields.

Hurst Castle defended the western Solent from attack, Buckler’s Hard was where Nelson’s fleet was built, and Lepe Country Park saw the famous D-Day Mulberry Harbours launched from its shores.

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Military Attractions in Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the traditional home of the Royal Navy and has a great naval legacy going back to Roman times. HMS Victory can be found at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and 11 other military attractions and exhibitions can be visited as part of your Portsmouth Historic Dockyard experience, truly an all day naval adventure.  In 2018 the D-Day Museum reopened after a multi million pound renovation.

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Military Attractions in Southampton

Southampton was the home of the Supermarine the company which built the Spitfire, one of the most famous aircraft ever built. Solent Sky Museum tells the fascinating story of this magical warplane. Florence Nightingale also had an important role in guiding the development of Royal Victoria Hospital on Southampton Water. Once the largest hospital in the country, the chapel remains housing a permanent exhibition, and the wider surroundings provide a popular country park.

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Military Attractions in the Test Valley

Test Valley borders Salisbury Plains which is home to the where the British Army carry training exercises at their training at the Defence Training Estate. It’s also has two museums including Museum of Army Flying on the outskirts of Stockbridge, house a vast array of the aircraft within the museum and visitors can also view helicopters and planes from the live airfield next to the museum.  In the market town of Andover the Museum of Army Chaplaincy illustrates the work of the church in the armed forces.

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Military Attractions in Winchester

Winchester, once capital of ancient England, has had strong links to the military since Roman times. Peninsula Barracks houses museums of five of the British Army’s famous regiments. The Westgate Museum is housed in one of the remaining medieval fortified gateways.

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Military Attractions Outside of Hampshire

There are also a number of great military attractions on the counties surrounding Hampshire, including Royal Signals Museum in Dorset, Fleet Air Arm Museum in Somerset and Tangmere Military Aviation Museum in West Sussex.

See Hampshire's Military Attraction events

Download discount vouchers to Hampshire's Military Attractions