Percy Boulnois

Few council employees have been as capable and have left a legacy in Portsmouth such as Percy Boulnois. Elected to the post of Borough Engineer in 1883, during his six year stay he built: a paved promenade; a road (part of the Esplanade) and retaining wall between the sea and the Common; a new customs house in the Camber; finished the public swimming baths; laid out Alexandra Park including one of the first bicycle tracks in the country; significantly increased the wharfage accommodation at Flathouse and constructed, despite some opposition, the Canoe Lake. He oversaw the plans for 3,025 new dwelling-houses and 636 miscellaneous buildings in three years. He even persuaded the Corporation to fit a salt water storage tank in the Square Tower to aid street cleaning. Percy remembered his time in Portsmouth with great fondness in later life. He left in 1889 to take up a similar position in Liverpool.