The Berkeley Group and Gosport Borough Council are working together to provide an exciting new display which will tell of the important role that Royal Clarence Yard played in the provision of supplies to the Navy.
Royal Clarence Yard is a stunning waterfront site which serviced the Navy for over 300 years. It provided food, water and the all important daily rum ration to the fleet. The Berkeley Group is currently developing the former naval provisions yard to provide a mixed use development, which will include around 698 homes.
Many of the waterfront homes at Royal Clarence Yard are being provided within existing historic buildings such as the magnificent Granary, which as the name suggests is, where the flour was stored for the making of ships biscuits, an important part of a sailors ration in Nelsons time. It is this incredibly interesting history that will be told within the proposed new display.
The exhibition will be sited at another waterfront area with a history to tell - the nearby Priddy’s Hard, now the home of Explosion! Museum. As Priddy’s Hard it was another major provider to the Navy, for it was from here that gunpowder, shot and shells were made and provided for the Navy right back to Nelson’s time.
Berkeley is generously contributing £50,000 towards the new Royal Clarence Yard exhibition. This is in addition to the £50,000 they have already donated to Explosion! Museum. It is hoped this latest contribution will allow the new display to be opened and available to the public in time for Christmas.
The Leader of Gosport Borough Council, Councillor Shaun Cully said, “This is excellent news for Gosport. Our town’s role in serving the fleet is often overlooked and this exhibit will clearly show the crucial role Gosport had in supplying the fleet in Portsmouth Harbour with all the provisions and armaments required.
“We would like to thank The Berkeley Group for this contribution. Their development of the Royal Clarence Yard site has totally transformed this part of the town and opened up an area formerly denied to the residents of Gosport. This new display will now allow the history of the site to live on. We look forward to continuing to work with Berkeley and to the completion of the project.”
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