As architects for the project, Pritchard Architecture were responsible for the contemporary new canopy and the surrounding landscape which has created a welcoming visitor entrance that connects both physically and materially with the adjacent D-Day Story museum and makes LCT7074 part of the public realm. A strong rhythm of steel columns that relate to the piers of the historic wall behind, support a sweeping cantilevered canopy, keeping one side of the ship clear of visual distraction and providing clear uninterrupted views of LCT 7074 from Southsea Common. The form of the canopy follows the shape of LCT 7074, starting lower at the bow end of the ship, sweeping over the tank deck before rising sharply over the ship’s bridge and funnel and then dropping back down at the stern. The canopy maintains a simplicity that is sympathetic to its sensitive surroundings while still having a presence that physically relates to the robustness and mass of the ship itself.  

A new landscape setting has been created linking back to the D-Day Story both physically and materially making LCT7074 an integral part of the museum and public realm so that the 4.5 million passing visitors to Southsea Common can engage with the ship’s story, at any time of day and night. 

Part of this remarkable project saw LCT7074 moved by barge from a ship hall at HMNB Portsmouth. Six years after being salvaged from the docks in Birkenhead, LCT7074 made landfall on Southsea beach in the early hours of 24th August after many years of restoration. From here she was transported along the seafront on a pair of 96 wheeled self-propelled modular transporters to her final resting place next to the D-Day Story.  

The project has secured a sustainable future for this exceptional survivor, completing the conservation that began with salvage in 2014, and its new location and setting provides the ship with extraordinary context, allowing visitors to properly understand her place in the bigger picture of Operation Neptune.