United Kingdom · England · Portsmouth
Southsea, Portsmouth — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Southsea is a district of Portsmouth holding the Royal Marines Museum, The D-Day Story and the Cumberland House Natural History Museum.
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Where to stay in Southsea
The practical side of choosing where to sleep.
Three museums anchor the district. A stay in Southsea puts the Royal Marines Museum, The D-Day Story and Cumberland House within the same district, with the Portsmouth Pyramids Centre and the Canoe Lake Gardens adding what a visitor does between them. Church of St Jude, the Church of St Patrick and St Margaret of Scotland are among the parish buildings listed across the district.
Portsmouth itself lies alongside, so a guest can trade the museums of Southsea for the wider city without a long move.
Few places to stay in Southsea — most visitors book in Portsmouth nearby.
Find hotels in Southsea
Direct booking searches for these neighbourhoods.
Southsea
The museum end of the district, with Cumberland House and the Portsmouth Pyramids Centre on the same list of things to reach.Find hotels in Southseaquieter ground by the Emmanuel Emmanuel Memorial Drinking FountainCanoe Lake Gardens
Garden ground at Canoe Lake, where the Emmanuel Emmanuel Memorial Drinking Fountain is the listed marker rather than any museum. Few places to stay nearby — book ahead.Find hotels in Canoe Lake GardensHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Things to do in and around Portsmouth
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
3- Royal Marines Museum
- The D-Day Story
- Cumberland House Natural History Museum
Churches & Religious Sites
6- Church of St Jude Heritage
- Church of the Holy Spirit Heritage
- Church of St Simon Heritage
- Church of St James Heritage
- Church of St Peter Heritage
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- Church of St Patrick Heritage
Landmarks & Notable Places
6- Cumberland House Heritage
- Annesley House Heritage
- Crescent House Heritage
- Kent Hall Heritage
- Kersey House Heritage
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- Tulip Tree House Heritage
worth knowingacross 3 categories in and around Portsmouth
About Southsea
What are the main landmarks in Southsea?
Museums and churches dominate. The Royal Marines Museum and The D-Day Story hold the military record, while Cumberland House and the Cumberland House Natural History Museum hold the collections, and the Portsmouth Pyramids Centre is listed with them. Churches take over from there.
Church of St Jude and Church of St Simon are joined by Church of St Peter, Church of St James and the Church of the Holy Spirit. Annesley House, Crescent House and Kent Hall are among the listed dwellings. The Emmanuel Emmanuel Memorial Drinking Fountain marks Canoe Lake Gardens.
What is the history of Southsea?
Southsea dates itself through its buildings. No founding year is recorded for Southsea, so the building list stands in for one, running from Cumberland House and the Royal Marines Museum to a set of parish churches under separate dedications. The D-Day Story keeps the military thread that the Royal Marines Museum also carries, and Portsmouth's own past sits behind both.
Houses came with names of their own: Annesley House, Kersey House and Tulip Tree House among them.
Where is Southsea?
Southsea forms a district of Portsmouth, its ground marked by Canoe Lake Gardens, the Portsmouth Pyramids Centre and a run of parish churches.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Southsea?
Southsea: visitors working through the Royal Marines Museum and The D-Day Story. Canoe Lake Gardens: quieter ground by the Emmanuel Emmanuel Memorial Drinking Fountain. Portsmouth: guests who want the whole city rather than one district.
Good for
Updated October 2026