Footsteps of WWII · Britain
The D-Day Story, Portsmouth
Museum · Jun 1944
The story
Portsmouth and the Solent were the heart of the D-Day build-up: troops, ships and landing craft packed the south coast in spring 1944, and Eisenhower's forward headquarters was at Southwick House just north of the city. This museum on Southsea seafront opened in 1984 as the D-Day Museum and reopened in 2018 as The D-Day Story. Its centrepiece is the Overlord Embroidery, commissioned by Lord Dulverton: 34 panels, 83 metres long, made by twenty members of the Royal School of Needlework over seven years. Outside is LCT 7074, the last surviving landing craft tank of its kind from D-Day.
What to look for
Galleries follow D-Day from planning to the Normandy battle through personal stories, with a reconstructed Southwick House operations room. The Overlord Embroidery runs round its own gallery. Board LCT 7074 to see the open tank deck.
Plan your visit
Open daily 10:00–17:00 (17:30 April–September); last entry 16:00, 15:30 for LCT 7074. Closed 24–26 December. Paid entry, ticket includes LCT 7074; buy online or on the day.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
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