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Mast Pond completed during the reign of King Charles II, on the site of an earlier pond by a military and civilian workforce. It remains the oldest visible feature of the Historic Dockyard to be seen today. Access to the sea via a tidal cut.

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First masthouse built on site of today's Boathouse No. 6. Map is from 1688, overlain in red with outline of Historic Dockyard today.

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Unnamed building (a mast house?) first appears on maps on the site of the future Boathouse No. 4.

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Outline from 1730 map showing position of piles in Mast Pond. This layout suggests that logs were manoeuvred through the Channel from the Harbour and, from the centre of the Mast Pond, assigned to one or other of the bays between piers, before being weighed down with chains.

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1724 building rebuilt and slightly repositioned (b2 on map). Later designated Mast House (1835), Mast Workshop (1858), and then Store No. 4 (1866).
Map is from 1774, overlain in red with outline of Historic Dockyard today.

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Two pairs of "back-to-back" tidal gates were built into channel serving Mast Pond.  One pair opened inwards to retain water in the Mast Pond on the falling tide. In the picture the 1999 gate is shown in this position.  The second pair opened outwards to the Harbour to hold back water on the rising tide. In the top left of the picture, the step in the floor is the location of this gate.

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The channel to Mast Pond culverted over with a local red brick spring arch to allow for Main Road, the primary land route into the Dockyard at the time, to be widened.  An iron handrail was set into the soffit to pull timber and boats through.

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New Masthouse No. 6 completed to an innovative iron-framed design. [Renamed Boathouse No. 6 sometime between 1860 and 1887.]

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HMS Warrior heralded the age of the large steam-powered battleship.

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Boathouse No. 7 rebuilt over the Mast Pond. Picture shows piers and floor beams. Tunnel to harbour in the background.

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Outbreak of World War I. Picture shows HMS M33, an M29-class monitor of the Royal Navy built in 1915 and now restored in the Historic Dockyard.

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Feb – Jul Boathouse No. 4 designed by the Admiralty.

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Construction of Boathouse No. 4 commenced.

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A view of Portsmouth Harbour (looking north-east to the Portsmouth side) during air raid of 12th August 1940. The recently completed Boathouse No. 4, on the skyline above the stern of the ferry, was hit. The bomb passes through the unfinished open roof of building but fails to explode. 30t gantry crane damaged. © IWM.

Construction of Boathouse No. 4 completed.

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Building transferred to Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust from the MoD. For the next 20 years the building remained little more than a very large storage facility.

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King George VI visits in September.

Prototype midget submarine X4 assembled in Boathouse No. 4 and sent to Scotland in
November.  X3 brought to Boathouse No. 4 from Scotland for repairs. (Image is of X-5)

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Work begins on modifying landing craft (built elsewhere) in preparation for D Day.

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For the next 45 years, work included the servicing of small craft attached to the larger aircraft carriers and cruisers, and to the Royal Yacht.  One bay was allocated to the maintenance of HMS Victory.

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1951 aerial view of the southwest corner of Portsmouth Dockyard, showing Boathouse No. 4 still displaying war-time camouflage markings. Many of the other buildings are still showing bomb damage, including Boathouse No. 6 and Storehouse No. 10. The aircraft carrier is believed to be HMS Indomitable (1940 – 1955). Note also the boat pontoons and the disused railway viaduct to Watering Island © Historic England.

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Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Regional Growth Fund, a £3.75m design and renovation project commenced, enabling the building now to be used for boat-building training courses and boat restoration projects (with a viewing gallery), a permanent display of historic naval boats and a restaurant overlooking the harbour.

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Boathouse No. 4 opened to public in October.

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Commemorative visit in March from HRH The Princess Royal.
who unveils a plaque, here with Peter Goodship, Consultant Chief Executive of Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust.

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New pontoon system completed in May.

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Dunkirk Little Ships visit Boathouse 4 for the 75th anniversary of D Day.