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.