The Mint

'... in Gold Steet new sovereigns would be tarnished; in Silver Street, silver would rapidly assume the colour of pewter or lead; in Steel Street, steel would be rusted by the noxious vapours arising from accumulations of all kinds of filth and deleterious gases.'

Quoted by J R Martin, 1845

The King’s Rooms

There is now no trace of an extraordinary building that stood on the site now occupied by Clarence Pier. Built largely in 1824/5, and named after a visit by the Duke of Clarence who later became William IV, this building had aspirations to have an aura of a London Club. It included an assembly room complete with chandeliers, reading and card rooms and a long colonnade that overlooked the sea. Its enterprising owner, Mr Hollingsworth, installed solid marble warm vapour baths, one for each sex, which were equipped with steam pumps capable of raising 40 gallons of water per minute from the sea. Balls were held here which ‘attracted the greatest assemblages of rank and fashion ever known in the neighbourhood’. It was at the King's Rooms in 1845 that a Capt Seaton quarrelled with Lieut Hawley leading to the reputedly last duel to be fought in this country.

Whale Island

So named because its original shape resembled a whale, this island in Portsmouth Harbour was inundated during every spring tide until 1845. At this time, and over the coming decades, convict labour was used to deposit large amounts of mud excavated from the building of a nearby steam basin which increased the island’s size by 125% The Portsmouth Corporation sold the island to the Admiralty in 1861 for £1,000. Winchester College, who then owned a considerable portion of Portsea Island, protested that it was actually in their ownership, and eventually the proceeds were split. The Admiralty developed the area as its chief gunnery school. Today it houses HMS Excellent, the oldest shore training establishment in the Royal Navy and the Headquarters of Commander in Chief, Fleet.