Arthur Edward Cogswell

Cogswell was a local architect who, although not well known, left a strong mark on the appearance of Portsmouth lasting until this day.

He arrived in Portsmouth in the early 1870s and served an apprenticeship with a prominent local architect, George Rake, with whom he worked on the new goal in Kingston and St James' Hospital in Milton. Later he built a reputation of his own and was particularly respected by the Brickwood family who commissioned him to design numerous local pubs. He was also responsible for local shops, banks, churches, schools, cinemas, theatres and, in the early 1900s, the Carnegie Library in Fratton Road to which he gave his services for free. His style is very recognisable throughout the city.

A full set of his plans, giving huge and colourful detail, is available at the Portsmouth History Centre.

A Lively Lady

On 4 July 1968 Alec Rose, a green grocer, was cheered by hundreds of thousands in a triumphant reception on his return to Portsmouth Harbour. He had sailed his boat, the Lively Lady, single handedly round the world in a journey taking 354 days. The next day he was knighted by the Queen. He was 59.

Sea Bathing

'Southsea beach boasts a superiority over any other in the kingdom, for the clear sea-water, and the acknowledged utility which has followed the use of its baths in numerous complaints which bade defiance to medical skill'

A visitor Thomas Roscoe writing in 1830.

An ancient name for the Hill

The name of Portsdown Hill, a ridge running along the north of Portsmouth, originates from Portus Dun where Portus = Port and Dun = Hill. Locally it is just known as 'The Hill'.

Beatrix Potter and HMS Victory

'I think this ship was one of the most picturesque sights imaginable, particularly from close under the stairs - looking up at the queer little port-holes, and the end like a quaint carved old house...'

Beatrix Potter describing HMS Victory on a visit to Portsmouth in 1884

The Village

The district surrounding Palmerston Road including St Judes Church was known as The Village in 1851.

Getting on to an Island

Prior to 1927 the only road connection between Portsea Island and the mainland was an inconvenient and slow swing bridge over Portsbridge at Hilsea. This was improved to a permanent road but prompted by concern caused by the terrible blitz of early 1941 (getting help onto the Island and potentially evacuating everyone off), another route, the Eastern Road, was completed during World War II. The M275 subsequently opened in 1976 allowing access straight to the heart of Portsmouth. These three routes still remain the only road links off Portsea Island today.

Portsmouth Coat of Arms

Portsmouth’s Arms, comprising an azure shield bearing a gold star and crescent, has been used for 800 years. Its history is uncertain but thought to be based on those of Richard I, or his Lord Chancellor, William de Longchamp, who granted the Town's first charter in 1194. The motto "Heaven's Light Our Guide" which was registered in 1929, is that of the Order of the Star of India and of the old Indian troop ships which embarked their passengers at Portsmouth.

Further changes were made to the arms in 1970, when Portsmouth Museums Society sponsored the grant of crest, supporters and heraldic badge. This shows a sea lion and sea unicorn which are maritime version of the Royal Crest and Supporters - a rare privilege reflecting Portsmouth's long association with the Crown. The unicorn wears a naval crown and is wrapped a representation of "The Mighty Chain of Iron", the Tudor defensive boom across Portsmouth Harbour. The crown worn by the sea lion refers to the land defences which surrounded Portsmouth from Elizabethan times to the 1800s.

Victoria Park

Victoria Park was opened on 25 May 1878 on land newly released by the demolition of Portsea’s ramparts, moats and glacis (the gentle slope to the fortifications). It was known as the People’s Park with several rallies having been held in its grounds. The most striking feature however is the many monuments remembering various conflicts in which Portsmouth residents have played their part.

It was designated as a conservation area in 1973 and is registered as a historic park by English Heritage.

Several historic photos are available on the following link:
http://nowportsmouth.co.uk/galleries-and-articles-01/victoria-park-1.html

Portsmouth Block Mills

Established in 1802 by Marc Isambard Brunel, father of Isambard, the world's first mass production line was the Portsmouth Block Mills, which mass produced pulley blocks for rigging on the Royal Navy's ships. At its height Portsmouth Dockyard was the largest industrial site in the world.

To find out more visit the City Museum's No Place Like Pompey exhibition or visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth_Block_Mills

The Making of a City

In 1926 Portsmouth was granted city status following a long campaign by the borough council. The application was made on the grounds that Portsmouth was the "first naval port of the kingdom". Two years later the city received the further honour of a lord mayoralty.

Why Pompey?

One suggestion for the city's nickname Pompey is thought to have derived from shipping entering Portsmouth harbour making an entry in their logs as Pom. P. in reference to Portsmouth Point. Navigational charts use this abbreviation.

There are many other suggestions for the name.

The Dockyard Wall

The original Dockyard Wall was built between 1704 - 1711 from red brick. A large part of it still guards the Dockyard today and can be seen at the lower end of Queen Street. Other sections were engulfed by later extensions but can still be seen within the Yard.

The Foundation of Oceanography

The Challenger expedition, the scientific exercise credited with laying the foundation of oceanography, left from Portsmouth Harbour on 21 December 1872. The expedition was named after the mother vessel, HMS Challenger. She returned to Spithead on 24 May 1876 having spent 713 days at sea. One of its many acheivements was the discovery of 4,700 new species of marine life.

To find out more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_Expedition

Four House Green

It was here that Henry VII's great brewing houses for the burgeoning navy were situated. Henry built three with Elizabeth I adding another. They were located adjacent to St Nicholas Street where the adjoining meadow sourced springs of remarkably fresh water. Four House Green vanished when the Town's moat was constructed. However the water used as a fresh supply by older residents until the early 1900s and there remained breweries in St Nicholas Street until living memory.

Somerstown

Somerstown was developed during the 1820s, on land owned by Mr Somers, and was heavily bombed during World War II. After the war, the majority of what remained of the area was demolished to make way for social housing.

It is infamous for having one of the highest violent crime rates outside of London.

Zeppelin attack

In 1916 Portsmouth experienced its first aerial bombardment which came from a Zeppelin airship during the First World War.

A Cold War Mystery

In 1956, Lionel (Buster) Crabb, a World War II hero due to his work as an underwater clearance diver, was recruited by MI6 to investigate the Soviet cruiser Ordzhonikidze which was in Portsmouth on a diplomatic mission. In particular he was sent to investigate the Ordzhonikidze's propeller — a new design that Naval Intelligence wanted to find out more about. On 19 April Crabb dived into Portsmouth Harbour and was never seen again. MI6 tried to cover up the true nature of him mission. Crabb's companion in the Sally Port Hotel took all his belongings and even the page of the hotel register where they had written their names. Official documents at the National Archive have had the usual closure period of 30 years extended so they will not be available until 2057.

The next year, on 9 June 1957, a body in a frogman suit was found floating off Pilsey Island in the Harbour. It was missing its head and both hands, which made it impossible to identify (using then-available technology). Was this Buster?

There are many theories surrounding Buster’s disappearance and the incident has inspired films and stories including Ian Fleming for the James Bond adventure Thunderball.

For a fuller account:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Crabb

University of Portsmouth

This began as the Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and the Arts in 1869 predominately to train the engineers and skilled workmen needed to work at both the city docks and the Naval dockyard. Following World War II, the college diversified its syllabus to attract new students and, in the 1960s, was given the power to award its own degrees being renamed Portsmouth Polytechnic.

In 1992, following a government higher education initiative, it was granted University status and has since been known as the University of Portsmouth. It retains however its original business focus having faculties of Business, Creative and Cultural Industries, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Technology.

Paulsgrove

Paulsgrove is believed to be named for St. Paul who, according to apocryphal legend, landed at the site at the start of his visit to Britain when it was part of the Roman empire. However a more likely explanation is revealed by certain old maps which show the area as PALS GRAVE, and is probably a reference to the last resting place of a (perhaps Saxon) local chief.

Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulsgrove

Dullness and inactivity

The busy activity of the place occurs only ... when a fleet comes in or is about to sail, at which periods the town becomes all crowd and hurry for a few days, and then suddenly reverts to a languid intermission of dullness and inactivity.

Dr George Pinckard, 1795, describing Portsmouth

Anti Slavery

Portsmouth played its part in stopping slavery. From 1808 the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron, who were tasked to stop the slave trade, operated out of Portsmouth.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/6430401.stm

Christopher Hitchins

Christopher Hitchens, the Anglo American author, journalist and literary critic was born in Portsmouth, the son of a Naval officer, on 13 April 1949. In 2005 he was voted the world's fifth top public intellectual.

To link to his work: http://www.vanityfair.com/contributors/christopher-hitchens

A hot press

Press gangs were the scourge Portsmouth streets when these gangs of harsh men swept the town and scooped up any able bodied man who crossed their path regardless of marital status, dependants, home location or employment. One particularly 'hot press' occurred on 23 September 1803 when 'no protestations were listened to, and a vast number of persons were sent on board the different ships in this port ' (Portsmouth).

Sometimes even underhand methods were used. For example, a Capt Bowen made a spectacle of marching a party of marines ostenstibly to quell a riot and, when a crowd gathered to see the fun, turned on them to round up all the fit men.

East India Company

The East India Company, which had extensive interests in the Far East, India and China, used Portsmouth as a base. The Company had its own army and detachments would leave from Portsmouth together with company officials and passengers. Often these would be protected by naval escorts. The Company's involvement in the Town was such that they built repair facilities and extensive storehouses. For example, Lord Clive returning from India to Portsmouth in 1767 brought with him raw silk, redwood and saltpetre.

To find out more, read The East India Company and the Provinces in the Eighteenth Century: Portsmouth and the East India Company 1700-1815 v. 1 (Studies in British History) by James H thomas

The Siege of Lucknow

Heroes of the famous seige of Lucknow, part of the Indian Mutiny of 1857-8, are commemorated in Portsmouth. The three fields on which Havelock Park stands, located to the east of Victoria Road North, were brought in 1857 the same year as the seige, for £4,520, and the foundation stone laid a year later. The estate was named after Sir Henry Havelock who led the first relief column into Lucknow, while Sir Henry Lawrence, John Inglis, Sir James Outram and Sir Colin Campbell all gave their names to local roads.

A hanging and unusual souvenirs

On this day in 1782, a crowd reported to be somewhere between 20,000 and 100,000 strong gathered on Southsea Common, many of them having walked great distances to be there. They had come to watch David Tyrie, who had been convicted of high treason, be hanged, decapitated and disembowelled.But, when Tyrie arrived from Winchester prison, it was realised that nobody had thought to bring a rope. The executioner, with great presence of mind, acquired some from a lugger moored offshore. This gave Tyrie extra time to read his bible.

The Hampshire Chronicle reported that Tyrie was hanged for 22 minutes, his head severed from his body, his heart taken out and burned, his genitals cut off and his body quartered. The same account reported that after the body parts were buried on the beach some sailors dug up the coffin and cut the body into 1,000 pieces to distribute as souvenirs.

http://www.executedtoday.com/2011/08/24/1782-david-tyrie-the-last-hanged-drawn-and-quartered/

Nelson's First Column

This column on Portsdown Hill commemorating Admiral Lord Nelson predates a similar, and more famous, one in Trafalgar Square by 30 years. The foundation stone was laid in 1807, only two years after Nelson's death. It stands 110 foot high which together with being sited on top of the Hill has made it useful to ships navigating their way in to Portsmouth Harbour for the last 200 years. 

http://www.fareham.gov.uk/discover_local_area/whats_here/nelsonmonument.aspx

A sad year

Gates, the respected local historian, said that the year 1800 'was perhaps the saddest year Portsmouth had ever experienced'. On 6 January, 'the bakers close their ovens and refuse to bake bread, in order to induce the Magistrates to raise the assize of that article'; in September there was a 'tumultuous meeting of the populace in St George's Square, Portsea, respecting the high price of bread; and many windows broken and other damage done'. Such were the conditions that by 13 December, 'provisions (were) so scarce that servants were allowed only one quartern loaf of bread per week, and nine hundred pounds collected in Portsmouth to purchase Scotch herrings to supply to poor'.
Of course, Gates didn't know what was to come with the Blitz of World War II.

To find out more read A Portrait of Portsea by Joy Harwood

Merchant Trade

Portsmouth enjoyed a flourishing merchant trade of both national and international repute, based around the Camber, during the 1700 and 1800s. Ships from other British ports mixed with those from France, the New World, the Baltic, Portugal, the Middle East and India. The cargoes they brought included livestock, cloth, coal, cheese, timber, fish, soap, brandy, tobacco, bullion and a vast array of spices. The local community consequently became one of the most cosmopolitan in the British Isles with the townspeople daily rubbing shoulders with sailors from all over the known world.

Spiritualism

The first Spiritualist temple in Portsmouth, founded in 1901, was in Victoria Road South using the building that had previously been the School of Art. This was found not fit for purpose and was demolished in 1937 to be replaced with the present splendid temple, considered to be one of the finest in England.

Supporters who aided with the original purchase of the land included Arthur Conan Doyle who had become interested in Spiritualism while practising as a doctor in Portsmouth in the 1880s. The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, Lancelyn Green Bequest includes an enormous amount of material relating to early spiritualism which can be consulted freely at the Central Library.

Stocks

Stocks for the punishment of 'rouges and vagabonds' were placed in three areas of Portsmouth: In (Old) Portsmouth they were placed on the Common with the whipping post nearby; in Portsea the were in Ordnance Row where they stayed until as late as the 1860s, and in Kingston they stood outside the George and Dragon pub in Kingston Road.

Witches

In a deeply superstitious community accusations of witchcraft are found throughout Portsmouth history. For example, in 1688 Elizabeth Skipper was in trouble for bewitching Goody Thompson, as well as hitting her and pinching her arm. Famously one of the the last so-called ‘Witchcraft’ trials to take place in England originated in Portsmouth. In 1944 the spiritualist medium Helen Duncan was arrested here for ‘pretending to hold communications with the spirits of deceased persons’ to defraud members of the public. As Helen, during her séances, had foreseen wartime naval disasters before the information had been made public, the Establishment was nervous that she would release other national secrets. A Portsmouth court committed her to the Old Bailey, where she was tried and convicted under the ancient Witchcraft Act of 1735. This story has spawned a variety of books and television programmes.

A ratepayer and the Infant School

An anonymous ratepayer writing to the Hampshire Telegraph in 1869 gave the following hair-raising description of St Mary's Street:

of 'the seventy-four houses, seven are occupied by licensed victuallers, sixteen are beer houses, fourteen are licensed refreshment houses, whilst nearly all the houses in the many courts and alleys adjoining are rented by beer-house keepers and let in rooms to the unfortuante wretches who frequent their vile dens... One scoundrel has the audacity to call his house the 'Infant School' (due to the age of the girls supplied there).

For more read the excellent Portsmouth Paper 38, Public Houses and Beerhouses in Nineteenth Century Portsmouth by Riley and Eley.

Quakers

'If I killed a hundred Quakers, I do not fear to be hanged'. So boasted a guard in Portsmouth during the 1660s. A contemporary record similarly shows in 1660 that William Rutter 'was taken at a Meeting in Portsmouth, was committed by the Mayor to a close stinking prison, in which through the coldness of the place, and want of air, he fell sick and died within a month'.

The Quakers settled in Portsmouth in the 1650s but as the above shows, they experienced very harsh treatment. The present meeting house is in Northwood Road, Hilsea.

White Swan Fields

These stood behind the current New Theatre Royal and the White Swan Tavern where there were extensive ponds frequented by swans. They were perhaps cared for by the nearby monks of Magdalen Chapel. The ponds provided fresh water for the town of Portsmouth but have now vanished beneath modern buildings although flooding of basements is a frequent occurance in this area.

A dismal spot

"A dismal spot where foot-pads and cut-throats roamed at night, and a murderer hung in chains on the edge of the shingle. Near Lumps Fort was a great morass. Windmills stood in the flat landscape, and the jaw bones of a stranded whale served as a gate to one of the fields."

W L Wyllie R.A. describing Southsea Common

Salubrity of Southsea

‘Sunny Southsea – so called because of the illustrious office of the day is very much in evidence here. Southsea has made rapid advances in public favour as a watering place. In 1899 when the British Medical Association held its annual meeting in Portsmouth, emphatic testimony was borne by distinguished members of the profession to the salubrity of Southsea. Under the genial stimulus of its breezes from the sea, visitors speedily recover their pristine health and are then able to appreciate its diversified features of interest.’

Extract from the British Medical Conference handbook, 1904

Beating the Boys

It was formerly the custom, at certain intervals of time, to perambulate the bounds of each parish, a ceremony familiarity styled, 'beating the bounds'. Litanies and prayers were said for the increase of corn and fruit; tokens of boundaries were set up or restored, and the old curse was promounced against him who should remove his neighbour's landmark. The old custom of beating the boys at each boundary mark was with the object of impressng the parochial limits on their youthful minds. Gifts were sometimes subtituted for the whippings. The bounds of Portsmouth were beaten as late as 1813, and Portsea, 1824.

Taken from Portsmouth in the Past, Gates, 1926

HMS Warrior

The ship that really did rule the waves is 150 years old today.

Find more on the link: http://www.hmswarrior.org/history

Pevsner's view

Portsmouth in 1965 is, as a whole, muddled and visually squalid; it still has the chance to make itself something very different, and much better, before the end of the C20.

Taken from 'The Buildings of England' by Pevsner and Lloyd, 1967

Portsmouth Airport

‘I am glad that Portsmouth has shown her wisdom in providing a municipal airport now and I am confident that her foresight will be fully justified by the event’

The Marques of Londonderry, Secretary of State for Air, writing on the opening of Portsmouth Airport, July 2 1932. Portsmouth was the eighth municipal airport in the British Isles.

Fratton Road

Fratton Road follows one of the ancient trackways off Portsea Island. By the late 1920s it was too narrow, greatly congested and dangerous. Action was needed so in 1929 it was upgraded to a 50ft widethorough fare by setting back all the houses and shops on the east side - a major civic initiative. The new wide road was opened with great pomp and ceremony on July 22.

The Camperdown

On 22 June 1893 HMS Victoria and HMS Camperdown catastrophically collided in good weather and sank off the coast of Africa resulting in the loss of 360 officers and men. Sir George Tyron, the Admiral of the Fleet, who had given the bizarre order that caused the accident, uttered the last words, ‘It is entirely my fault, entirely my fault’. It was.

The whole country subscribed to a fund for the relief of the resultant widows and orphans, most of whom belonged to Portsmouth.

The first retractable undercarriage

A disaster at Portsmouth Airport was averted in April 1933 when the first commercial aircraft with a retractable undercarriage to be produced in England, a six seater monoplane called the Courier, was on a test flight. Flt Lt GH Stainforth showed exceptional skill when he suffered a complete engine failure at 300ft whilst taking off into an easterly wind towards the mud flats of Langstone Harbour. Stainforth managed to turn the aircraft, lower the undercarriage and land back safely down wind. The failure was due to a defect in the fuel system.

Portsmouth Records Office I169

Cascades

This shopping arcade in Portsmouth was opened in September 1989 and cemented Commercial Road as the main shopping area in the City. Its design followed a national trend and is unremarkable although interesting facts from the City’s past are used in the interior decoration.
http://www.cascades-shopping.co.uk/about

Arundel Street

This area of Portsmouth was once owned by the Earls of Arundel giving name ro Arundel Street. The basin of the Portsmouth - Arundel canal also stood on this site.

Milton and Bransbury parks

The land for Milton Park was purchased in 1911 when the death of the local farmer and recluse James Goldsmith brought a large wooded area on to the market. Anxious to provide open spaces within the increasingly developed a Portsea Island, the Town Council acquired the property for £28,840 as well as some additional land in Bransbury Road. Both areas were converted into parks, which is how they remain today.

A cutting in Portsdown Hill

The first cutting through Portsdown Hill was made in about 1800 to ease the route out of Portsmouth to the north and on to London. It is still in evidence today by the George Inn. The debris was taken down the hill and placed in Cosham High Street to lessen the gradient of the road through this section. In the short term this resulted in the road being much higher than the front doors of the adjacent small farm cottages.

As Cosham developed with an increase in through traffic, these dwellings gradually vanished and no trace remains today.

The Mary Rose

Said to have been named after Mary Tudor, Henry VIII’s youngest sister, the first Mary Rose is one of the nine warships to bear the name. One of the earliest ships to carry heavy guns, she sunk in 1545 during an engagement with a French invasion fleet, in full view of the King as he looked on from Southsea Castle.

Rediscovered in 1971, her remains were eventually recovered in 1982 after one of the most complex and expensive maritime archaeology salvage projects ever undertaken. The remarkable find is considered something of a Tudor time capsule, with 19,000 artefacts providing a unique insight into naval life and technology in the 16th century.

Taken from Ships Monthly April 2011 which has a 15 page special on Portsmouth: http://www.shipsmonthly.com/

A Violent Storm

In 1820 a violent storm lifted the East Indiaman, Borneo, from her moorings at Spithead and left her stranded on Southsea Common.

The Spinnaker Tower

The Spinnaker Tower is the tallest publicly accessible building in the UK.
To find out more about the history of the Tower: http://www.spinnakertower.co.uk/About_The_Tower/History_Of_The_Tower/index.php

George Meredith

The famed novelist, George Meredith, was born in High Street, Portsmouth on 12 February 1858. The house was one of many destroyed in the Blitz.

Hilsea Lido

In the 1930s there was increased interest in leisure pursuits. In Portsmouth the Hilsea Lido was opened by the Mayor in July 1935 and flourished. It was a sizable undertaking having a café, paddling pool, sunbathing deck, a diving board, chutes and facilities for 1,000. Built by the council and used as an unemployment reduction scheme, it cost £36,000 and took seven months to build. Its striking architecture is typical of the era.

After World War II, the Lido reopened in 1947 but never regained its original popularity. After many problems, it is now supported by a lively community group. To find out more: http://www.hilsea-lido.org.uk/

Dickens’ week

In 1929 Portsmouth school teachers organised an ambitious event to celebrate the author Charles Dickens and his links with the city. A parade dressed as Dicken’s characters went from the Guildhall to his birthplace in Commercial Road, pageants and concerts were held and the culmination was a ball in the Guildhall. The event was a resounding success.

2012 will be the 200th anniversary of Dickens birth. To celebrate, Portsmouth City Council has a large community archive project which aims to reach out to everyone in the city celebrating both archives and Dickens. The culmination will be a exhibition at the City Museum.

http://www.charlesdickensbirthplace.co.uk/charles-dickens-birthplace/ATaleofOneCity.htm

Portsmouth’s most important industry

The leading industry in Portsmouth was surprisingly the dress sector represented by the many milliners, dressmakers, staymakers, shirtmakers, seamstresses, tailors, hatters and shoemakers. This dominance was evident throughout the years 1841 to 1911, by which time it occupied 39.6% of the workforce (metalwork and engineering were 23.6% and shipbuilding 20.8%).

Demand was led by the large presence of naval and military personnel requiring uniforms and a willing workforce was to be found among the female workers of the town. Portsmouth was particularly famous for its specialism in corset (stay) making.

To find out more read the excellent Portsmouth Paper no 25 by R C Riley.

Southsea Rock Gardens

The glorious Rock Gardens in Southsea have an interesting history. Originally built in the early 1920’s, they suffered from neglect during World War II when the whole seafront was given over to the military. They were one of the first areas to be restored post WWII but subsequently suffered from flooding during one of the worst storms in living memory, in 1949, when the fire brigade limited the damage by quickly pumping off over one million gallons of salt water. In the 1950s electicity was introduced including coloured lights in the fountain.

When first conceived, it was hoped they would, ‘provide shelter from the cold winds which are occasionally felt in all seaside resorts’. Over 90 years later the Rock Gardens are still a much loved feature of the seafront.

To find out more:
http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/living/10079.html

Public Conveniences

‘Please adjust your dress before leaving’ was the sound advice placed on tiles in Portsmouth public conveniences in the early 1900s.

Passengers from a lost airport

During 1934 nearly 20,000 passengers flew from Portsmouth airport. At this time Amy Johnson was working here as a test pilot for The Portsmouth Southsea and Isle of Wight Aviations Co.

Portsmouth Records Office I169

Verrecchia ice cream

Portsmouth, like other coastal towns, saw Italian ice cream makers appearing by the late 1800s. Initially there was some local hostility with regular fines being imposed for obstruction. However, attitudes had softened by the inter war period enabling Augusto Verrecchia to open his popular coffee house and ice cream café by the railway bridge near Guildhall Square. In the post WWII period, this café was much loved by the students of the nearby Municipal College as the individual booths were ideal for courting.

One of these booths is now preserved and on view in the City Museum.

Holland 1

Built in 1901, this tiny submersible was the Royal Navy’s first submarine and formed part of the "First Submarine Flotilla" based in Portsmouth Harbour. In her life she was both blown up and sunk, but now she rests peacefully at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport.

For more information: http://www.submarine-museum.co.uk/museum-collections/our-submarines/holland-1

It’s Shorter by Water!

The Gosport ferry, which shuttles people between Gosport and Portsmouth, is by far Britain’s busiest short route with passenger numbers of roughly 4 million per year. This despite a fall in numbers from nearer 10 million in its heyday.

Gosport Ferry Limited can trace its ancestry back to the 1880s.
http://www.gosportferry.co.uk/aboutus.php

Dickens and Highland Road

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth and kept connections with the town for most of his life. Highland Road cemetery has a plethora of connections being the last resting place of:
o Maria Winter (nee Beadnall), his first sweetheart
o Ellen Robinson (nee Ternan), his mistress
o Georgina Margaret Haymen, believed to be the model for Little Dorritt
o Alfred Arthur Seale, first curator of the Charles Dickens Museum in Portsmouth.

2012 will be the bicentenary of Dickens’ birth and to celebrate Portsmouth City Council will be arranging a series of celebrations including a large community archive project.
http://www.dickens2012.org/dickens-community-archive-project

Jane’s Fighting Ships

Fred T Jane, although not a native of Portsmouth, spent most of his working life in the town. He is best remembered for his international standard reference work, All the World’s Fighting Ships. However he was active in local life in many ways including the burgeoning scouting movement and politics.

To find out more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_T._Jane

HMS Dreadnought

When HMS Dreadnought was laid down on 2 October 1905 in Portsmouth naval history was made. It became the predominant type of naval battleship of the twentieth century, so much so that those built after her were referred to as 'dreadnoughts', and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts.

The Admiral Superintendant of Portsmouth Dockyard, Jackie Fisher, was a man of enormous energy and drive. He spearheaded the revolutionary design and under his leadership HMS Dreadnought was launched by Edward VII on 10 February 1906 after only 130 days. She sailed for sea trials just a year and one day after the laying of her keel, a huge feat which it was said at the time would not have been possible anywhere else in the world.

Modern admiralty procurement could perhaps learn some lessons!

To find out more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadnought_battleship#Anglo-German_arms_race

Swedish sea fight

On 1 May 1647 there was a sea fight off Portsmouth involving 5 Swedish ships.

Loathsome Portsmouth

'that loathsome place subject to ague and the infection of so many poor sailors'

The view of Secretary Cope, one of the Commissioners of The Admiralty, writing in May 1628.

Repeated sacking

In 1338 a French fleet led by Nicholas Béhuchet arrived in Portsmouth Harbour flying English flags before anyone realised that they were a hostile force. The French burned down most of the buildings in the town; only the local church and Domus Dei survived. The population was subjected to rape and slaughter. As a result of this, King Edward III gave the remaining townsfolk exemption from national taxes so that they could afford to rebuild the town. Only ten years after this devastation, the town for the first time was struck by the plague known as the Black Death. In order to prevent the regrowth of Portsmouth as a threat, the French again sacked the city in 1369, 1377 and 1380. This directly resulted in the first permanent fortifications in Portsmouth, the Round Tower at the harbour mouth.

R J Winnicott Limited

This local building company is well into its second century. It was started in 1904 by Robert John Winnicott who was only 21. Initially taking advantage of the building boom in Portsmouth in the early years of the 20th century the company flourished by buying land, building houses and selling some on but also keeping others as investments. As the decades passed, they moved into contract work and opened up several hardware shops in south east Hampshire. The houses they built were in Copnor, Eastney and Cosham. In Copnor they are known to have built houses in Wallington, Copythorn, Westbourne, Cosham, Powerscourt, Tokio, Mayhall, Seafield and Highgate Roads. These were built with bricks from the nearby Portsmouth Brickworks in Burrfield Road. http://www.winnicott.co.uk/history.html

Playing with rats

An unusual local pastime was outlawed in October 1704 with the following appearing in the Portsmouth court records: 'that the anointing of Ratts with Turpentine and putting fire to them is of Dangerous consequence especially in this Towne where there are magazeens of Powder and tends to the setting the dwelling houses of the Inhabitants on fire' The past is indeed a different country.

Pigs

Pig keeping was a major pastime for our ancestors and nowhere more so than in Portsmouth. However people were not particular where they either kept or butchered their animals leading to endless complaints being laid before the local courts. This presentment made against a Thomas Yonge in 1629 is typical: 'killing, scalldinge and dressinge of Hogges in the highe streete pumpe and in consequence a paine is set to all inhabitance of this towne that they doe not scalled any porker in any of the streets belonging to this towne...' Can you imagine someone killing and butchering a pig in the main water supply.

Snippet from the present

There are currently 75,000 military and commercial ship movements a year in Portsmouth harbour. 60% of the surface Fleet of the Royal Navy – almost 50 ships – are based here. The Naval Base has three miles of waterfront, 62 acres of basins,15 working dry docks and currently employs 17,000 people.

Hovercrafts

Since its establishment in 1965, Hovertravel has carried over 26 million passengers between Portsmouth and Ryde on the Isle of Wight. It is the world's longest running and the only remaining commercial hovercraft operator in Europe.

Oil

In 1936 the D’Arcy Exploration Company began an attempt to find oil under Portsdown Hill. It was unsuccessful and they gave up in February 1938. Oil has however recently been discovered however in nearby Leigh Park.

Clarence Brickwood Kingsbury

A local unsung hero is Clarence Kingsbury who won two gold medals for cycling at the 1908 Olympics. When he returned to Portsmouth, 15,000 people had gathered to cheer him in Town Hall (now Guildhall) Square and a concert was held in his honour. Portsmouth City Museum holds some memorabilia of Kingsbury’s cycling career including his gold medals.

A C Smith

Arthur Conan Doyle played under this pseudonym for the amateur pre-runner of Portsmouth Football Club when he lived in the town in the 1880s.

HMS Victory

A 104 tonne first rate ship of the line commissioned in 1778, HMS Victory was already 27 years old and a veteran of three campaigns by the time she achieved fame and renown as the flagship of Vice Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. When retired from the frontline service in 1812, she was saved from disposal by the then First Naval Lord Thomas Hardy, once Flag Captain to Nelson and the ship’s most famous commanding officer. HMS Victory remained at moorings in Portsmouth Harbour for the next 110 years. It was during her time as the Royal Navy’s Telegraphy and Signal School between 1889 and 1906 that she was rammed by HMS Neptune, which was under tow heading to the breakers. By the 1920s Victory had fallen into a poor state of repair and a national appeal was launched to save her. She was moved to dry dock inside Portsmouth Dockyard in 1922 and subsequently restored to her 1805 fighting condition.

The Oldest House in Portsmouth

Wymering Manor is the oldest house in Portsmouth. Sadly, it is in a run down state and recent attempts to sell by the city council have failed. Currently it is mostly used by ghost and other paranormal activity hunters. The site has been occupied since Roman times although the first recorded occupant of Wymering Manor was William Mauduit. He probably came across with the invasion of 1066 from his home in Normandy and was involved in local research for the great survey of 1086 – known as the Domesday book. He held other manors in Hampshire and married a local Portchester girl named Hawyse in 1069 with whom he had three children. Most of the house dates from the sixteenth century, although it incorporates both original Roman and Saxon building materials. To find out more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wymering_Manor http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=552596722&sk=wall

The first dry dock

The first known dry dock in Europe was built in 1495 in Portsmouth on the order of Henry VII. The first ship to use these new facilities was the 600-ton Sovereign, which was worked on for 8 months. Getting her out of the dock proved tricky. Twenty men worked for a month ‘breking up of the dokke hede at every tide both day and night’ presumably removing the tons of material sealing the entrance. It can be argued that the decision to choose this location for the dry dock sealed Portsmouth’s fate as Britain’s premier port.

St James Hospital

This hospital was opened in 1879 as a lunatic asylum. Its very extensive grounds were cultivated until 1965 by patients who were thus allowed to contribute to their keep. It was one of the largest institutions of it type in the south of England and remains the only one still in use for its original purpose. The many changes in name through the decades reflect society’s view of mental illness: The Borough of Portsmouth Lunatic Asylum; Portsmouth Borough Mental Hospital; St James’ Hospital for Nervous and Mental Diseases and St James’ Psychiatric Hospital. Portsmouth City Records Office hold an extensive archival collection for this and the other hospitals in Portsmouth.

This Side Idolatry

This well researched but controversial novel based on the life of Charles Dickens was published in 1928. It was not altogether complimentary. Portsmouth City Council, proud of its links with with the author, promptly banned it from its public libraries. This book was billed as the ‘most discussed book of the century’ but Portsmouth residents were forced to buy their own copies to read. Portsmouth City library has an enviable collection regarding Dickens. However their catalogue shows that they still don’t possess a copy of this book.

Visit of a King

King George V visited Portsmouth on 15 July 1935 to review the fleet in celebration of his 25 years on the throne. Unusually he disembarked from a train at Cosham station and, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Dukes of York and Kent, travelled to Portsmouth Dockyard by car. He was cheered along the way by thick crowds. Incidentally the ships at this jubilee review stretched for an amazing 27 miles.

Brighton Mary and Curzon Howe Road

The spotlight was on the Portsmouth authorities when a prostitute known as Brighton Mary was murdered in the inappropriately named Blossom Alley. Vivid descriptions of this poor woman’s wretched lifestyle hit both national and local headlines and galvanised the council into action. Slum clearance removed the dark, dangerous alleyways and in 1910 the first council housing in Portsmouth was opened in Curzon Howe Road, Portsea. The accommodation was of a high standard consisting of three bedrooms (one for the parents and one for children of each sex), a large front room, kitchen, scullery and bath. They had the luxury of hot water and an outside lavatory. These houses have stood the test of time, surviving the blitz, and can still be seen near the entrance to the dockyard. Portsmouth Record Office holds the original plans to these houses. http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=portsmouth+records+office&aq=0&aqi=g1g-v2&aql=&oq=portsmouth+records+off

Temperance

Being predominately a naval and garrison town, Portsmouth had an usually high number of drinking establishments. Consequently, the Portsmouth Temperance League regularly petitioned the licensing sessions citing examples of children as young as seven being served alcohol. In an exhibition held in 1911 they had some convincing statistics. They estimated the drink bill for Portsmouth in 1911 was £826,323 which would have paid for the Town Hall (£140,000), South Parade Pier (£70,000) and all the council schools and Technical Institute including equipment (£568,000). They also highlight that very little of this would go back into the local economy as wages unlike some of the other local industries.

Portsmouth Grammar School

Portsmouth Grammar School opened in 1750 in Penny Street, Portsmouth by William Smith, a philanthropic Mayor of Portsmouth. Although initially successful, by the mid nineteenth century it had declined and was refounded in 1873 with a new building at the top of the High Street being opened in 1879. This is now the Lower School. The school has subsequently flourished, taking over Clarence Barracks in 1926 and further buildings adjacent to the site in Museum Road in the 2000s. It is Portsmouth’s oldest school.

The Free Mart Fair

"It creates great dissatisfaction among the respectable inhabitants. Disreputable characters of every sort haunt the town during its continuance, and the streets are in a state even more disorderly than usual. Many of the inhabitants quit Portsmouth for the time to avoid the nuisance." This quote from a report presented to the Corporation in 1835 describes the Free Mart Fair which was held annually in the High Street, Portsmouth. Held since Mediaeval times it was originally an important regional trading fair. However by this time it had become a magnet for pickpopckets, prostitutes, deserters and derelicts. It was finally abolished in 1847. An excellent resource regarding the Free Mart Fair is available on this link: http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=hants&f=generic_theme.htm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&%3Dtheme_record_id=hs-hs-freemart_1

Palmerston’s Follies

In the mid 1800s the threat of invasion by the French became very real. Portsmouth, the country’s premier naval base and garrison town, was seen to be particularly important and vulnerable. Lord Palmerston, the Prime Minister, had the idea of encircling the town with giant fortifications. Fort Purbrook, Fort Widley, Fort Southwick, Fort Nelson and Fort Wallington were built along the top of Portsdown Hill to protect from attack from the north from which vantage point they are completely disguised. They cost the staggering sum of almost £100,000 each. Looking towards the west, Fort Fareham, Fort Brokenhurst, Fort Rowner and Fort Grange were added. Most spectacularly, to spoil any approach from the sea, Spit Bank Fort, No Man’s Land Fort, Horse Sand Fort and the smaller St Helen’s Fort were placed free standing in the Solent. In addition, the existing fortifications in Gosport and Portsmouth (Fort Cumberland, Eastney Batteries, Lump’s Fort, Southsea Castle, Point Battery and Hilsea Lines) received improvements. No wonder Portsmouth had the reputation for being the most fortified town in Europe. They are known as follies because the danger passed and never was a shot fired in anger. For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmerston_Forts,_Portsmouth http://www.palmerstonforts.org.uk/index.php

Stagecoaches

According to the 1839 Portsmouth Guide, stagecoaches departed from Portsmouth every half hour leaving for London, the principal route out of the town. Other routes served were Brighton, Chichester, Bristol, Oxford and Winchester. They picked up passengers from many hostelries including the George, the Fountain, the Globe and the Blue Posts in Broad Street.

Traces of a Canal

The Portsmouth to Arundel canal opened with great optimism in 1823. Its terminus was located by the present day Portsmouth and Southsea station. The idea was to link Portsmouth, and its thriving merchant port, with London. Its path came from Chichester round the lower shore of Thorney Island, around the top of Hayling (cutting through the ancient wadeway) before heading inwards at the present day Locksway Road. The venture was however short lived and closed in 1832. The reasons were twofold: the canal bed was not isolated and salt water began to penetrate the local water supply while the introduction of the railway provided alternative cheap methods of transport. When the railways arrived in Portsmouth, part of the canal basin was used to lay the track. There remain other traces: the naming of Locksway Road, Canal Walk, Arundel Street and in Milton where some of the lock gates still exist.

Growing Portsmouth

The boundaries of Portsmouth have changed considerably over the last two centuries. The original boundary concentrated on the western side of Portsea Island encompassed Old Portsmouth, Landport, Stamshaw and Tipnor. An extension in 1832 moved the boundary eastwards to include Copnor, Fratton, Milton, Eastney and Southsea. Great Salterns was added in 1895; Hilsea, to Port Creek, in 1904; Cosham in 1920 and finally parts of Farlington and Portchester in 1932. Leigh Park in Havant was bought by Portsmouth Borough Council following World War II to house those left homeless after the blitz. However despite becoming home to thousands of people considering themselves natives of Portsmouth, and who paid rent to Portsmouth City Council, Leigh Park was never incorporated in the City boundary.

The founding of a cathedral

‘Be it known to all men… that I, John de Gisors, have given and granted and by the present charter confirmed to God and the church of St Mary Sudwica (Southwick) and to the canons regular there serving God for ever in free alms for the salvation of my soul and those of my father and mother, my ancestors and heirs, a certain place for building here on a chapel in honour of the glorious martyr Thomas of Canterbury, one-time Archbishop, on my land… on the island of Portesia (Portsea).' Extracted from the a charter of Southwick Priory held at Hampshire Record Office, 4.M.55, probably dated 1180.

Two racecourses

In 1891 Portsmouth opened its first racecourse, called 'Portsmouth Park', at Farlington just to the north of Portsea Island. This was a very fine and successful course but was taken over by the War Office during WWI and used as an ammunition dump. After the end of hostilities, the authorities were tardy in returning it to its owners so it was not until 1922 that the disposal of the ammunition began. Amazingly it was cleared at a rate of 3,000 tonnes per week through detonation. Still ,the site was not finally released until 1929 when Portsmouth City Council purchased it for housing development. A local businessman, George Cooper, spotted a gap in the market and opened another course three miles away at Wymering on 10 August 1928. It was luxurious having parking for 2,000 vehicles, accommodation for 8,000 spectators, numerous bars, modern toilets, a restaurant and a smart member’s clubhouse. 40,000 square yards of turf were removed from Portsdown Hill and the course was consider second to none. Pony races were run regularly while there was also the new sport of motor cycle racing to attract spectators. Even new railway halt was opened adjacent to the track to provide easy access. The next world war intervened and shortly after the land was sold to Portsmouth City Council for industrial use and housing. To find out more: http://www.stauntoninfo.co.uk/7862.html?*session*id*key*=*session*id*val* http://www.portsdown-tunnels.org.uk/paulsgrove/estate/paulsgrove_p1.html

30 years to establish a library

As early as 1853 the Council resolved to establish a free public library and museum in Portsmouth. However, little happened. Even in 1860, when the library and museum of the defunct Portsmouth and Portsea Literary and Philosophical Society were offered to the Council on condition that the Public Libraries Act was adopted, they ‘declined to accept the burden’. It was proposed that the Act was adopted locally in both 1869 and 1875 but public meetings of rate payers rejected the idea as too expensive. It was not until 1882 that a council committee was established for libraries. The first public free service was opened in 1883 in a house on the site now occupied by the Guildhall. Branch libraries followed in Southsea and Kingston in 1893 and 1897 respectively, both housed above the local police stations. There are currently 9 council run libraries in Portsmouth. http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/learning/29.html

A Circus Disaster

On 11 August 1900 John Sanger’s circus was on Southsea common with accommodation for 2,000 people. A strong wind was blowing so the proprietors decided to finish the afternoon show early. This proved a good move as soon after 5p.m. a sudden squall descended ripping the big top from its moorings. It rose in the air before falling back on some people standing nearby. Several people were injured and a 14 year old boy died.

Relief for the Unemployed

Following the end of World War I, there was great distress in Portsmouth due to unemployment caused by men returning to civilian life. An Unemployment Committee was established which had the main aim of providing work paid for by the council. These projects included the extension of the Esplanade beyond the Marine Barracks, the development of Great Salterns, and construction of three new roads running off Portsea Island. In addition, the Town Council voted £25,000 for the relief of the poor for the winter of 1919. Things did slowly improve however with the Unemployment Committee disbanding in 1926.

An ill named place

Portsmouth has an ill-name in public estimation for the behaviour and morals of its inhabitants and most undeservedly do strangers imagine that a laxity of proper feeling predominates among its females. We who know the place have ever scouted the injustice of this charge against its population. Hampshire Telegraph, January 1846

Portsmouth Museum

The old museum was situated in the High Street occupying the site of the Old Town Hall. Many ancient local treasures were located inside. With breathtaking lack of foresight no efforts appear to have been made protect the contents on the outbreak of war leading to the entire contents, catalogues and the building to be lost in the bombing of the blitz. In retrospect this has been a devastating loss to the city and its heritage. The majority of the city’s archives however were located in a basement of the Guildhall. By a miracle, and certainly not from good planning or collection care, they survived both the bombing and resultant fire despite the Guildhall being completely burnt out. Both the City's archives and museums services are under threat from the recent budget proposals which, if implemented, will severely reduce the professional capacity of the staff and must impact on collection care

Portsea Pier

This often forgotten pier, which stood 1249 feet in length, was opened in 1847 at a cost of £1200. It was used by steamers going to the Isle of Wight but was never a commercial success. The Harbour Station viaduct and station buildings now occupy this site where the modern Isle of Wight passenger ferries still dock in Portsmouth.

Harsh Justice

The punishment handed out to Hannah Davis who was found guilty of theft by the Portsmouth session court in 1732 was: ‘You are to return to the Gaole from whence you came and there remain till Thursday next between the hours of Eleven and Twelve of the Clock in the Forenoon, att which time you are to be taken thence and stript from the middle upwards and fixt to the Public Stocks or Whipping Post near the Cage on the Common withn the Liberties of this Burrough, and at Twelve of the Clock just as the Dock Men are coming from his Majesties Dock Yard here you are to receive Fifteen Lashes with a Catt of Nine Tails from the hande of the Common Beadle on your naked Back and then return to the said Gaol and there remaine till your Fees are paid.’ Portsmouth City Records Office, S3/97

Knight and Lee

This store, now part of the John Lewis Partnership, has been based in Palmerston Road, Southsea since 1874. Originally started by a local businessman, Frederick Wink, it was later purchased by two young brothers-in-law who had been trained in London, Jesse Knight and Edward Herbert Soden Lee. They specialised in clothes before widening the stock to include housewares. It was acquired by the John Lewis Partnership in its first big expansion outside London in 1934. At this time it occupied the site where (until recently) Woolworth’s, Boots and other shops are. In January 1941 the whole of the Palmerston Road shopping area, including this store, was devastated in the Blitz. The staff were all given 2 week’s paid leave after which offices were set up in the nearby Queen’s Hotel and ten different shops were found in which to carry on the business. All the records had been destroyed, so the staff list, and their salaries were calculated from memory by Miss Kite, the Counting House Manager. The current building was completed in March 1959, on a site slightly further along Palmerston Road where J D Mourant had been.

The end of paganism

St Wilfrid, the son of a Northumberland thane, travelled to the south coast in about 687. He founded the see of Chichester and built a monastery at Selsey. He also brought Christianity to the Portsmouth and surrounding areas, one of the last strongholds of paganism. He is remembered in the many institutions named after him in the area.

Portsmouth-Gosport Floating Bridge

The floating bridge (or chain ferry) was a feature of Portsmouth Harbour for over 150years. The engineer who invented the concept first made one that crossed the River Dart at Dartmouth in 1831. Portsmouth was the fifth one he constructed, and it was opened, after an Act of Parliament had been obtained despite opposition from both the Admiralty and local wherrymen, in May 1840. It cost one penny for a passenger to travel across and between a penny and a shilling for all other traffic. The company flourished until the world wars during which their launches were requisitioned. Afterwards, aging machinery, rising fuel costs, the lack of radar meaning it could not operate in fog when more modern vessels could, and an appearance of a sandbank near the Gosport shore which lead to grounding at low tide, all meant this the company could not continue. The service was finally suspended in December 1961.

Music Halls

There is a long tradition of music halls in Portsmouth. In the early days they were associated with public houses. Some were of doubtful repute, other achieved a high standard. One of the best known was located at the Blue Bell in St Mary’s Street, Old Portsmouth. A small music hall was built by an enterprising licensee in 1856 which proved so popular that a larger one was needed. This was built over the old hall, enabling no break in performances to be necessary, and was much better equipped. It was later known as the South of England Music Hall. Another was the colourfully named Vento’s Temple of Varieties and was located on the corner of Leonard Street and Lake Road.

Meetings of the Improvement Commissioners

From 1769 until well into the 19th century the Ship and Castle on the Hard was the meeting place of the Improvement Commissioners for the town of Portsea. They were charged with road improvements and street cleaning and the ‘removal of nuisances’. A brief survey of the first volume of the minutes of Commissioner’s meetings makes if fairly clear that 18th century Portsea was a pretty squalid place. The Commissioners issue frequent orders ‘that the inhabitants do not throw ashes, cinders and rubbish into the streets’. A succession of men are appointed to impound all swine, beasts and cattle ‘which shall be found wandering about the streets, lanes, ways, alleys and public passages…’

A stolen aircraft

In 1936 two employees of a local aviation company, Airspeed Ltd, broke into a hanger at Portsmouth airport and stole a small passenger plane, a Courier. They were intending to fly to Spain and sell the aircraft to either the Government or the insurgent forces. The machine stalled in takeoff, crashed in to trees at the north end of the aerodrome and was a total write off. One man, Arthur Gargett, was killed, and the other, Joseph Smith was imprisoned for four months for theft. Portsmouth Records Office I169

The first Theatre in Portsmouth

The first reference to a theatre in Portsmouth is in the court session papers. On 26 May 1694 a wanted sailor was chased through the streets and was thought to have disappeared in to the Queen’s Head where, in a large room, a play was in progress. Portsmouth Records Office S3B/112

Pubs on the Hard

The Ordnance Survey map of 1861 shows a preponderance of alehouses on the Hard, Portsmouth including the Ship and Castle, The Queen’s Head, the King and Queen, the Ship Anson, the Victoria and Albert, the Waterman’s Arms, the Bedford-in-Chase, the Sheer Hulk, the Nag’s Head, the Keppel’s Head Pier Hotel, the White Hart Tavern, the Row Barge Tavern, and the Earl St Vincent Tavern. These would have catered for the thousands of sailors that passed trough the area and the dockyard workers who worked immediately adjacent in the Dockyard. Not surprisingly, the Hard became notorious for the riotous behaviour of men and women alike.

Mrs Victor Bruce

This lady set off from Portsmouth airport in 1933 attempting to set an endurance record of 28 days. Her aircraft was fitted out with a kitchen, bathroom and other comforts. She later crashed but not before setting the record. Portsmouth Records Office I169