The Babcock Galleries at The National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard have opened to the public following a £4.5m renovation.

The opening coincides with the centenary of the First World War, with the Galleries house to host a new permanent exhibition which explores 100 years of life in the Navy and the personal stories from those who served at sea.

The project, led by architects Purcell and project managers Artelia, saw the complex renovation of the Grade I listed Storehouse 10 – the 18th century naval facility which houses the Galleries. This was connected to adjoining Storehouse 11 by a new, single storey glazed link which was conceived as a transition space.

Taking pride of place in the centre of the new link space is the ‘four inch’ gun from the destroyer HMS Lance, which fired the very first shot of the war at sea in WW1. This 3.6 tonne gun was craned into place by the contractor, Warings, before the roof was laid.

The exhibition fit out – designed by Redman Design – features interactive audio points stationed throughout the galleries, allowing visitors to listen to personal accounts of Navy life, as well as a dedicated audio-visual space in the centre of Storehouse 10 showing dramatic conflicts from the time.

The work was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and opened last month.