Explosion, Museum of Naval Firepower
Hampshire
This 1771 powder magazine is packed full of ordnance tracing the story of naval munitions from gunpowder to Exocet missiles. Explosion is in Gosport, on…
Must-see attractions in Wessex
Hampshire
At this warehouse full of child-friendly interactive gadgets you'll command a warship, gaze at an astronaut's view of Earth, and peek up a periscope. The…
Dorset
Highlights include sharks, penguins and seahorses, and talks and feeding demonstrations are held throughout the day. Tickets fall to £14 for adults and …
Wiltshire
This vast 14th-century stone structure originally belonged to monks from Shaftesbury Abbey, and was used to store tithes (a 10% produce tax) during the…
Dorset
Weymouth’s photogenic 19th-century defences are studded with cannons, searchlights and 30cm coastal guns. Exhibits detail Dorset’s Roman invasion, a…
Winchester
A stone's throw from Winchester Cathedral is the house where Jane Austen, one of England's best-loved authors, spent her last six weeks before she died in…
Dorset
This 11th-century church features a 12th-century fresco on the northern wall, and a marble effigy of TE Lawrence. If it's locked during normal shop hours,…
Salisbury
Magnificent plasterwork ceilings, exceptional period furnishings and a sweeping carved staircase grace this fine Queen Anne (1701) building. All that made…
Dorset
Some say this grand Georgian house with ornate doorposts was an inspiration for Thomas Hardy as he imagined the home of the character Lucetta Templeman in…
Salisbury
The 22 acres of parkland and gardens of Wilton House are bordered by the rivers Wylye and Nadder, and were largely laid out by the famous landscape…
Winchester
A people-centred canter through Winchester's past with jewellery, mosaics, sculpture, coins and tobacco tins charting a narrative from the Iron Age, via…
Wessex
Explores tales of boatbuilders, sailors, smugglers, salt-makers and farmers through an engaging mix of hands-on displays, models and artefacts.
Winchester
The pick of Winchester's cluster of army museums, with its mini rifle-shooting range, a room of 6000 medals and an impressive blow-by-blow diorama of…
Salisbury
An ornate facade and elaborate crest distinguish the College of Matrons, which was founded in 1682 for the widows and unmarried daughters of clergymen. It…
Wessex
The hamlet's fascinating Maritime Museum and heritage centre chart the inlet's shipbuilding history and role in WWII, and feature immaculately preserved…
Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre
Dorset
The centre has engaging displays about the Jurassic Coast and also runs between one and seven fossil-hunting walks a week (adult/child £8/4). They're…
Dorset
A red-brick, mid-18th-century building (now a bank) that's named as the inspiration for the home of Thomas Hardy's mayor of Casterbridge, in his book of…
Salisbury
Collections include a cannonball from the American War of Independence, Victorian redcoat uniforms, and displays on 19th- and 21st-century conflicts in…
Bournemouth
Built in 1908 to link Bournemouth's steep but relatively low cliffs to the beach, the West Cliff Lift Railway regularly trundles up and down a short…
Salisbury
Dating from the 15th century, the Poultry Cross is the last of four crosses that once stood on the town's market square.
Wiltshire
Beautifully kept, 2-hectare gardens featuring neatly clipped hedges, a herb garden, a waterfall and colourful English country cottage–style blooms.
Dorset
The often-photographed, painfully steep, quaint cobbled slope, lined by chocolate-box cottages, that starred in a famous TV advert for Hovis bread.
Dorset
Excellent displays outline how geology and erosion have combined to shape the area's remarkable shoreline. Staff can advise about walks, too.
Isle of Wight
Known locally as the Pepperpot, this 34ft, octagonal, 14th-century tower constitutes England's only surviving medieval lighthouse.
Wiltshire
Named after the skeleton of a man found under it – the equipment buried with him suggests he was a barber-cum-surgeon.
Bournemouth
Some 200 brightly painted beach huts are available for hire. They come equipped with three deckchairs and a gas stove.
Dorset
The impressive red-brick Custom House dates from 1813 – look out for the Union Jack and gilded coat of arms.
Dorset
A particularly fine product of Henry VIII's castle-building spree, with expansive views over Portland Harbour.
Wiltshire
A massive 65-tonne stone, which is one of the few at Avebury never to have been toppled.
Salisbury
Parts of the former Bishop's Palace date back to 1220; it's now the Cathedral School.
Isle of Wight
Regularly chugs the one-hour journey from Smallbrook Junction to Wootton Common.
Dorset
A half-mile hike east from Lulworth Cove used to lead to the remains of a Jurassic jungle. Unfortunately, the path has been wiped out by a landslide, and…
Bournemouth
First built in 1908, this historic railway is closed indefinitely – possibly permanently – following extensive damage in a landslide.
