Virtual Tours - Winchester's Military Museums
Winchester’s Military Museums is a grouping of six military museums situated within yards of each other on an historic site close to the city centre of Winchester and adjacent to the Great Hall.
The six museums are:
- HorsePower, the Regimental Museum of The King’s Royal Hussars
- The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum
- The Royal Green Jackets Museum
- The Rifles Museum
- The Gurkha Museum
- The Guardroom Museum, the Museum of the Adjutant-General’s Corps
Each museum is separately run and well worth a visit in its own right. A visit to Winchester’s Military Museums, however, provides an opportunity to visit all of them and enjoy an interesting ‘day out’.
Additionally, there is a Visitor’s Centre with refreshments available at the on-site café ‘Copper Joe’s’.
The Virtual Tours on this page are best viewed in the following web browsers: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox
Adjutant General's Corps Museum
Opened by Her Majesty the Queen in April 2003, the museum uses text, objects, audio points and dioramas to tell the story of the AGC since formation in 1992 and the six antecedents. The museum covers the history of pay, education, policing, provost services, legal services and women in the Army.
The dioramas include a reproduction 1940s cell original to the building, a Military Mounted Policeman and his horse, and a 1960s pay parade. The museum also has a dressing up box, a floor game and museum trails. The star object in the museum’s collection is Her Majesty the Queen’s driving permit from her time with the ATS in 1945.
The museum is co-located with Copper Joes, the on-site café, and Visitor’s Centre.
Horsepower, The Museum Of The King's Royal Hussars
HorsePower, the Museum of The King’s Royal Hussars, with its stunning displays of life size models, inter-active exhibits, medals, swords, magnificent uniforms and fascinating photographs shows how the Cavalry of horse and sabre developed into the modern armoured regiment of today.
The Museum reveals the history of three famous regiments over a period of 300 years and tells the stories of the dramatic exploits of the great heroes who won the Victoria Cross for their valour, who fought in the Peninsula War, the Charge of the Light Brigade, the two World Wars.
All of this and more besides can be found in the South of England’s only museum of Cavalry, located within the grand setting of Peninsula Square, Winchester, a site full of military heritage.
The Gurkha Museum - Culture
The Gurkha Museum has something to interest people of all ages and is suitable for a family outing. The visitor experience not only covers battles and campaigns, but the culture, religion and social structure of these brave warriors.
The Museum tells the story of over 200 years of Gurkha service to the British Crown, beginning in 1815. The peace treaty of the Anglo-Nepal War, based on the mutual respect, rather than hostility, led to the enlistment in 1815 of Nepalese into the Army of the British East India Company that has endured to this day. Nepal is also Britain’s oldest ally in Asia.
The Gurkha Museum - WW2
Visitors can learn about epic periods of British Imperial history and experience the courage and bravery of the Gurkha when they view the display commemorating the winners of 26 Victoria Crosses.
Beside tableaux, dioramas, showcases and panels, the museum has visual and voice descriptions of the history of Gurkha regiments, recruiting of soldiers in Nepal and the culture of the Gurkha in his homeland.
The Museum Shop is very popular with people looking for interesting and unusual gifts and souvenirs. It offers a unique range of authentic Nepalese and Gurkha gifts, food, jewellery, clothes and more.
The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum
The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum will be of interest to anyone who is keen on history. Visitors are able to trace the expansion of the British Empire through the deeds of the men of Hampshire.
The Museum tells the story of the County infantry regiment of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, always known as the Tigers, since it was raised in 1702, until its amalgamation with the Queen’s Regiment in 1992 to form the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (PWRR).
Visitors can discover how the Regiment raised more battalions in the First World War than any other county regiment apart from London, Yorkshire and Lancashire, gained more Battle Honours than any other un-amalgamated regiment and won 10 Victoria Crosses.
Afterwards you can relax in the peace and tranquillity of the Memorial Garden which was laid out after the Second World War to commemorate the members of the Regiment who fell in battle.
