Jubilee Terrace

One of the first buildings in Southsea, this terrace was started in 1809 and completed in 1827. It was named after the Golden Jubilee of George III.

Visits from Russians

'As we passed through the Russian Fleet the sailors stared at us - so unlike English sailors, with their lips covered with dirty red moustachios, some in hairy caps, some in green jackets, and some in none. When they laughed, they looked like animals. Their ships appeared to be strongly built.' Benjamin Haydon describing a visit to Portsmouth by a Russian Squadron in 1809. The Russians were frequent visitors during this period. They made use of the medical facilities nearby at Haslar hospital and took on copious supplies of beer to the delight of the local ecomony.

The Mint

It was not until 1809 that building began in earnest in Southsea. Until this date development had been hindered by the huge earthworks that surrounded both Portsmouth and Portsea. Landport Terrace in Southsea was quickly followed by Stone, Gold, Silver and Steel Streets, locally known for obvious reasons as The Mint. Very little is know about the entrepreneurial builder, Thomas Croxton, who was not a native of the town and left shortly after the development was completed. However the maps of the early 1800s call this early development Croxton Town. These maps can be viewed at the City Museum and Record Office or the Central library.