Portsmouth – From Henry VIII's Battle Fleet HQ to European Travel Gateway
“There is no lack of comfortable furnished apartments in Portsmouth, and no difficulty in finding some that are proportionate to very slender finances; but the former were too good, and the latter too bad.” Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
The city that many know simply as Portsmouth is actually the city of Portsmouth and the seaside resort of Southsea now conjoined on Portsea Island – Portsmouth to the north and Southsea, not surprisingly, to the south. Once on the island, whether you arrive by road, rail or ferry, it is a fairly compact place, and to be honest, in view of its layout, narrow streets and often limited or chargeable (and often very expensive) parking for vehicles, it's well worth getting around on foot or by using excellent local bus services. A Portsmouth PLUSBUS ticket gives you unlimited bus travel on participating operators’ services, around the whole urban area of Portsmouth and Southsea; (URL below).
If you do happen to arrive by road on the M275 link motorway, (as long as you aren't the driver), take the slip road off to the Channel Ferry Port exit, and there you'll find just a short walk (or drive) from the roundabout of the birthplace of Charles Dickens, now a museum, maintained and managed by the city council, and well worth a visit. You can even get married there if the idea takes your fancy.
Photo: Charles Dickens' birthplace
Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in this house at 1 Mile End Terrace (now 393 Commercial Road), in an area of the island then known by its local name Landport, (a name still used, but much more rarely nowadays), on 7 February 1812 at a time when the local naval port on the western side of the island would have been an intense hive of activity due to the ongoing conflict with Napoleonic France. Had Dickens' father not returned to London for work in 1815, Dickens might never have found the inspiration for many of his novels, and it was that move, quite possibly that led him to become a vigorous campaigner for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
The docks, however, have a far longer history, and the first recorded dry dock in the world was built in Portsmouth under King Henry VII in 1495. But it was under his son King Henry VIII that Portsmouth was turned into the major naval harbour and shipbuilding port of England. And probably the most famous early carrack, (a type of 3- or 4-masted ocean going sailing vessel constructed between the 14th and 17th centuries), was the Mary Rose, constructed in 1509 … not necessarily that famous at the time, (after all it capsized and sank supposedly in front of the monarch in1545 after serving for 33 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany and after being substantially rebuilt in 1536), but very much so when her remains were rediscovered in 1971, and were painstakingly raised from the sea bed in 1982 in a specially constructed cradle. I remember very well watching the event on live television.
The vessel's timbers were carefully preserved in a building where sea water was constantly sprayed on them, which allowed the structure to be housed and made available for general public viewing in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard. The Mary Rose Museum in the south western quarter of the island, not far from Portsmouth Harbour Railway Station, and which contains hundreds of artefacts, is open daily except for three days over Christmas.
Also in the Historic Dockyard you will, of course, find Admiral Horatio Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory. Now I have not been able to prove a direct relationship with Nelson yet, but my eight-greats uncle on my maternal grandfather's ancestral line, was none other than Admiral Samuel Hood.
While serving in the Caribbean Hood became acquainted with and later became a mentor to Horatio Nelson who was a young frigate commander at the time. Hood had been a friend of Nelson's uncle Maurice Suckling and in 1782 Hood introduced Nelson to the Duke of Clarence, the future King William IV, who was then a serving naval officer in New York. Now this is where it gets interesting. My family has not been able to prove a direct relationship … yet … but my brother, when meeting the current Lady Hood some years ago whilst researching the family tree, sat below a painting of Nelson. Interestingly, facially, dressed in the attire of the time, it would be very difficult to tell Nelson and my brother apart. We'll probably never know.
Photo: Painting of Admiral Samuel Hood, photographed by my brother, post-production Photoshop work, purely for correct parallax, by myself, and used with permission.
Portsea Island, for the traveller getting around on foot, is more likely to draw visitors towards the coast in the south of the island, or to the narrow streets off the Southsea sea front where there is a wealth of small bistros and bars. I happened to pass The Chocolate Bar in Clarence Road recently and noticed that well-known local folk singer and comedian, Shep Wooley, (not to be confused with the actor Sheb Wooley), was due to perform there just before Christmas (2017).
Shep's been around a long time. A friend of mine and I were the support act to Shep in 1979 in nearby Chichester, and in 1984, whilst I was singing at an open-mike evening at the Railway Folk Club in Southsea, Shep walked in, and when I finished playing Don McLean's American Pie, came onto the stage and led the applause to my performance. Despite not having seen me for five years, he remembered my name. I have never forgotten that act of kindness.
But it's the history of that coastal arc from south-west to south-east that makes this place really interesting, interspersed with modern tourist attractions.
In the south-west corner of Portsea Island lies Old Portsmouth, and the smaller of the island's two cathedrals. The cathedral in the city centre, on the other hand, is Roman Catholic. This one, standing just 200 yards from Nelson's statue, is Anglican. The exterior photograph I have included also shows the pinnacle of the modern Spinnaker Tower, just visible in the right hand side of the image. There is a lift to the top and gives an excellent view of the city from a central viewpoint. “This building {… the Anglican Cathedral …} has witnessed war and peace, famous marriages, been bombed and rebuilt and remains a building of greatness and simple enduring beauty”; The Very Reverend David Brindley writing on the Cathedral's website. It is definitely worth the trip. Take some time out to experience its peace and tranquillity. When I took these photos, the local senior school's choir was rehearsing for their Christmas Concert … and very good they were too.
Photos: Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral, interior and exterior
Opposite the Cathedral you'll find Portsmouth's oldest public house, (that's a bar for Australian and American travellers), The Dolphin. A short distance away, just three or four minutes on foot, and almost at the extreme south west of the island lies The Still and West, a public house, and restaurant which, certainly in the past, had the distinction of being the only building on dry land in the United Kingdom that was insured for accidents at sea. And when you see its rather precarious position on the eastern side of the narrowest point of the harbour entrance, you'll understand why. Recently substantially refurbished, it's by no means the cheapest, but it is incredibly popular, not least because of the fact you feel you could almost reach out from the terrace and touch the huge ships that make their way into Portsmouth Harbour at a distance that seems like just inches away. And there is a clear view of the town of Gosport across the water, (and a pedestrian ferry to Gosport lies about a ten minute walk to the north). Just around the corner from the Still and West is Sir Ben Ainslie's Yachting Headquarters housing the team that is so keen to wrest the Americas Cup from its biennial holders.
Again, back near Nelson's statue stand the fortifications of the Sally Port and the Square Tower at the eastern end of the fortifications, and from there you can walk the entire sea front eastwards for several miles before turning north up the east side of the island. The inscription on the wall of the Old Sally Port states, “The Old Sally Port. From this place naval heroes innumerable have embarked to fight their country's battles. Near this spot Catherine of Braganza landed in state May 14 1662 previous to her marriage with Charles II at the 'Domus Dei' a week later.” “Domus Dei”, literally the House of God, (Latin), is now known as The Garrison Memorial Church, partly ruined and being refurbished as I write, which contains almost 300 memorial plaques each dedicated to a different naval officer. Google Maps refers to it as the Royal Garrison Church. The website (see below) contains a very accurate map detailing all of the immediate local points of interest in a very simple and easily understood format.
Photo: Nelson's statue with the Royal Garrison Church in the background
Standing right on the coast and accessed across a footbridge from the green behind the Church lies the remains of Fort Redoubt, partially obliterated now by recent flood relief work, but worth a visit. This would have been the final major defensive point guarding the narrowest part of the harbour entrance. Fortified walls give way to tourist attractions around Clarence Pier, the hovercraft service to the Isle of Wight and the extensive open landscaped gardens of Southsea Common. After that comes the Royal Navy Memorial commemorating nearly 10,000 naval personnel of the First World War and almost 15,000 of the Second World War who were lost or buried at sea and have no known grave. A little further on lies the Blue Reef Aquarium and three open air pools largely for the use of families and children, plus no fewer than ten tennis courts available for hire and Southsea's beach volleyball court. And a fraction further, at the junction of Clarence Esplanade and Avenue de Caen lies the D-Day Museum and Southsea Castle.
Photo: Royal Naval Memorial
The most easterly part of this expansive cultivated tourist area is Southsea Rock Garden followed shortly by Clarence Pier with the usual typical English seaside amusement arcade.
Occasional fortifications dot their way along the remainder of the coast facing the Isle of Wight and the English Channel, with Lumps Fort, behind which you'll find Southsea's Model Village and just behind that the local Natural History Museum., and further still Eastney's West and East Batteries. The coastal road curves away by Eastney Swimming Pool and from there you can carry on by foot to the south eastern corner past Fort Cumberland. And when you round the corner onto the eastern side, there in front of you lies the small ferry across the Hayling Island … and that's a day out all of its own.
On a clear day, from numerous points on the island you can look up to the hills that overlook the island and you'll see Portsdown Hill, and set on its summit is Fort Southwick. Beneath the fort were constructed a number of tunnels where Churchill led the planning for D-Day. It's worth the trip because again on a clear day the view from the summit across Portsea Island beneath you, with Hayling Island slightly to the left and the Gosport peninsular slightly to the right, and beyond to the Isle of Wight is a sight to behold. Enjoy!
Worth the diversion:
• Southwick (pronounced Suthick) and the public house where Churchill and Eisenhowere enjoyed a drink while planning the D-day landings – about three miles north west from the north of Portsea Island;
• Hayling Island (a short pedestrian ferry from Eastney to the east);
• Gosport (a short pedestrian ferry from Potsmouth to the west);
• Queen Elizabeth Country Park and Butser Hill Nature Reserve (ten miles north east);
• Staunton Country Park (six miles north east);
• The Solent Way round Farlington Marshes (three miles east by land).