Southampton has long been a Gateway to the World and Southampton Maritime Museum tells the story of the port, the people who worked there and those who travelled to and from Southampton.

Built originally as a warehouse for Southampton's wool trade, it was used to house hundreds of prisoners of war 200 years ago. More recently it was an aircraft factory. Now the Museum houses many exciting displays on all aspects of Southampton`s maritime history.

Titanic Voices

Everyone knows about the 'unsinkable ship' which sank after hitting an iceberg on her maiden voyage in 1912. This exhibition tells the real story of the Titanic through the voices of some of the survivors and the people of Southampton whose lives were affected by the disaster.

Queen Mary - Queen of the Seas

This popular exhibition celebrates one of the world's greatest ocean liners. With an enormous model of the Queen Mary as the centrepiece, it conveys some of the luxury of transatlantic travel and the less glamorous reality of life for the crew who served the ship`s wealthy passengers.

All hands on deck

Find out how things work on board ship and in the port. This is an interactive exhibition, designed with children in mind, but fun for adults too.

Docks remembered

Through video presentations and a panoramic model of the docks, the exhibition traces the history of the port, the people who worked there and those who travelled to and from Southampton

Visiting the museum

Southampton Maritime Museum

Town Quay

Southampton

Tel: 023 8022 3941

Opening hours: Tue-Fri 10am - 4pm

Sat 10am - 1pm, 2pm - 4pm

Sun 1pm - 4pm

Entrance: Free

Map

The nearest disabled designated parking bays are in Bugle Street. There is level access to the ground floor of the museum, with automatic doors. The first floor has no access for wheelchair users. Two staircases, one spiral staircase at the front has 28 steps, and the back staircase has a right-angle turn and landing (11 steps in each flight). Once on the first floor, there are no further changes in level. A customer wheelchair is available. The 'Titanic Voices' exhibition is on the first floor where there is no wheelchair access.

Education Service

Southampton Historic Sites Education Service offers whole and half day education workshops in the city's museums, including Southampton Maritime Museum. Workshops are directly linked to the National Curriculum History and Science Programmes of Study for Key Stages 1 and 2 as well as to Medieval Realms at Key Stage 3.

Maritime museum