Monday 28 June 2010

A visit by Dickens

In 1838 when Charles Dickens was undertaking research for Nicholas Nickleby, he visited Portsmouth. Of this visit, it was said: ‘He succeeded in finding suitable lodging for Vincent Crummles at Balph the pilots, in St Thomas’s Street for Miss Snevellicci at a tailor’s in Lombard Street; while Nickleby and his companion were quartered at a tobacconist’s on the Common Hard, which he describes as a ‘dirty street leading down to the dockyard’. Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812 and was a returning visitor throughout his life.

Friday 25 June 2010

Bawdy Houses

One of the consequences of Portsmouth being a Naval and garrison town has been the preponderance of cases coming before the courts concerning unruliness. As early as 1655 the Justices received a petition from 23 local notables complaining about a Joan Wilkes running a bawdy house on the Point and who was ‘an uncivil and ungodly woman, who curses and swears and is great disturber to her neighbours’.

Wednesday 23 June 2010

A statue for a Queen

In 1903, to reflect public sentiment, the Mayor of Portsmouth started a fund to place a statue of Queen Victoria within the town. He quickly raised £1,700, the statue was created by Alfred Drury ARA and was placed with pageantry in Town Hall Square. Rather unusual attendees at this event were sailors from an American Fleet which had arrived the previous day at Spithead. The statue remains today in Guildhall Square although in a slightly different location.

Monday 21 June 2010

Horse drawn trams

Portsmouth had extensive network of horse drawn trams inaugurated in 1865. These ran until 1903 by which time the whole network had become electrified.

Thursday 17 June 2010

Migration to Canada

In 1868 sweeping cuts were made to the Dockyard workforce in Portsmouth. Great suffering was seen as a result with several hundred families giving up on the town and migrating to Canada. The 1867 Reform Act had empowered Dockyardmen with the vote. The subsequent election in 1868 was used to register the strong local discontent with the ruling Liberal Government who had inflicted such pain, which remain etched on the memory of a whole generation.

Tuesday 15 June 2010

Marriage of a King

The eyes of the known world were upon Portsmouth in 1662 when Charles II married Catherine of Braganza. The parish church had been severely damaged in the Civil War, so the ceremony took place in the Governor’s House. The couple did not get off to an auspicious start. The King was detained elsewhere at the time of her arrival and when he eventually arrived, an affronted Catherine had fallen ill with a heavy cold. When comforted with English ale, she reported immediately sent for tea from her Royal Barge, possibly the first tea drunk in England. Samuel Pepys noted the occasion. ‘I followed the crowd of gallants though the Queen’s lodging to the Chapel, the room being all rarely furnished, and escaped hardly being set on the fire yesterday. The mayor, Mr Trimbrill, our anchorsmith, showed me the present they have for the Queen – a salt cellar of silver, the walls of chrystal (sic) with four eagles and for greyhounds standing up at the top to bear the dish.’ In additional to marrying his wife here, Charles also made his mistress, Louise de Queruoille, the Duchess of Portsmouth.

Sunday 13 June 2010

Marc Isambard Brunel

Father of Isambard Kingdom, this extraordinary engineer arrived in England in 1799 having been the Chief Engineer of New York at the age of 28. He brought with him knowledge of how to mechanise block making which the admiralty officials hoped to capitalise upon. It took him ten years to introduce his now famous block-making machines in a factory in Portsmouth Dockyard, but they were to revolutionise the work and remained in operation for over 100 years.

Friday 11 June 2010

Civic Plate

Portsmouth’s civic plate is of national importance ranked only second to that of Norwich (which unlike Portsmouth had its own silver trade and assay office). The bulk of the collection was gathered during a relatively short period between the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. It has had an extraordinary history. This includes surviving several threats of invasion, bombardment during the Civil War and the upheaval of the Restoration, the Glorious Revolution and the devastation of the Blitz. On the night of 10-11 January 1941 over 2,000 fires were seen in the City and the Guildhall was one of the hundreds of buildings completely gutted. In a miraculous occurrence the muniment room concealed in the basement of the Guildhall survived the onslaught. When it was opened following the building burning for several days, all the plate, including the mace, was found undamaged. Although the City Council had to move to a hastily requisitioned hotel elsewhere in the City, the mace was still able to be placed before them for the remainder of the war, a visible symbol of hope and continuity.

Wednesday 9 June 2010

Birth of a dockyard

We order you, without delay, by the view of lawful men, to cause our Docks at Portsmouth to be enclosed with a Good and Strong Wall in such manner as our beloved and faithful William, Archdeacon of Taunton will tell you, for the preservation of our Ships and Galleys and likewise to cause penthouses to be made to the same Walls as the same Archdeacon will also tell you, in which all our Ships tackle may be safely kept; and use as much dispatch as you can in order that the same may be completed this summer lest in the ensuing winter our Ships and Galleys and their Rigging should incur any damage by your default; and when we know the cost it shall be accounted to you. An order to enclose an area of Portsmouth Harbour founding the Dockyard by order of King John 20 May 1212.

Monday 7 June 2010

Kassassin Street

Kassassin Street, Portsmouth is named after two battles that involved the Royal Marine Light Infantry and Royal Marine Artillery at Kassassin, Egypt in 1882.

Thursday 3 June 2010

Callaghan's birthplace

James Callaghan, Prime Minister from 1976-1979, was born in Copnor Portsmouth in 1912. He was made Freeman of the City in 1991 and in 1997 a road on Portsdown Hill was named Lord Callaghan Drive in his honour.

Tuesday 1 June 2010

Naval Academy

The Naval Academy in Portsmouth, founded in 1733, was the forerunner of the famous Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. The college provided residential accommodation for 40 students whose fees were comparable to those of Eton. The student numbers were increased by George III who ordered 15 free places reserved for the sons of sea officers. Notable old boys included Jane Austen's brothers, Francis and Charles, who both later became admirals. The building from 1906 became the Royal Naval School of Navigation which after bomb damage in WWII moved to Southwick. It is now the officer's mess. To find out more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Naval_Academy