Port Gallery

It’s hard to imagine it now but in 2016, the first section of the Port Gallery which looks at the early development of Plymouth, archaeology and the city’s enduring relationship with the sea, was actually a cafe, shop and two offices!

The second section where you can now discover more about the Dockyard and the city’s military connections was a gallery known as ‘Plymouth, Port and Place’.

100 Journeys

The first half of the 100 Journeys Gallery was the former Museum and Art Gallery’s world cultures space. Explorer and mountaineer Gertrude Benham’s well-worn boots worn on her ‘tramps to Leh’ and one of our Egyptian mummy coffins were featured objects. They can also be seen in 100 Journeys today.

The far end of 100 Journeys was a separate space that focused on archaeology called ‘Uncovered’. One of the standout items here was the Cattewater Gun which you can now see in the Port Gallery.

Mammoth Gallery

In 2016, the Mammoth Gallery was actually two different rooms – the ‘Explore Nature’ natural history gallery and a learning room used by our visiting school groups. A wall was removed to turn the two spaces into one in order to create enough space for Mildred the Mammoth, thousands of insects and a whole lot more! Here are three different views of the space and how it’s changed.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this little trip down memory lane. Keep a look out for further posts over the coming weeks about our first floor spaces, newly built spaces and St Luke’s church.