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.