Portsmouth (locally /ˈpɔːtsməθ/ ( listen)) is a city City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions for the status are hard fought. The status located in the ceremonial county Counties of England are areas used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. All of England is divided into 48 ceremonial counties, which are also known as geographic counties. Many of these counties have their origins in antiquity, although some were established as recently as 1974. Outside Greater London and the of Hampshire Today, Hampshire is a popular holiday area. Its tourist attractions include many seaside resorts, the motor museum at Beaulieu, with national parks in both New Forest and the South Downs. Hampshire has a long maritime history and two of England's largest ports, Southampton and Portsmouth, lie on its coast. The county is famed as home of such on the south coast of England The area now called England has been settled by people of various cultures for about 35,000 years, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant. Portsmouth is the United Kingdom's only island city, being located on Portsea Island Portsea Island is a small, flat and low lying island just off the south coast of England. The island is totally within, and contains a large proportion of the city of Portsmouth. It has the largest population of any island in the British Isles, after the mainlands of Great Britain and Ireland.[2] The City of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Football Club Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey, sometimes called 'The Blues', with their fans known as 'The Blue Army'. They play in the Premier League. They have played their home matches at Fratton Park since 1898 are both nicknamed Pompey. The administrative unit itself has a population of 197,700, which forms part of the wider Portsmouth conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area. In most cases, a conurbation is a polycentric urban agglomeration, in which transportation has developed to link areas to, with an estimated 442,252 residents within the wider urban area making it the 11th largest urban area in England. At the 2001 census A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194 it was the only city in England with a greater population density Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key geographic term (4,639 /km2 Square kilometre, symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of surface area, the square metre, one of the SI derived units. 1 km2 is equal to: (12,015/sq mi The square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile. It should not be confused with miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared. For instance, 20 miles square (20 × 20 miles) is equal to 400 square miles)) than London as a whole (4,562 /km2 (11,816/sq mi)), although many of London's individual boroughs The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London had a much greater density.

As a significant naval port A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land. Port locations are selected to optimize access to land and navigable water, for commercial demand, and for shelter from wind and waves. Ports with deeper water are rarer, but can handle larger, more economical for centuries, Portsmouth is home to the world's oldest dry dock A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Drydocks are used for the construction, maintenance, and repair of ships, boats, and other watercraft still in use and also home to some famous ships, including HMS Warrior HMS Warrior was the first iron-hulled, armour-plated warship, built for the Royal Navy in response to the first ironclad warship, the French La Gloire, launched a year earlier and Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was an English flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He won several victories, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, during which he was killed's flagship HMS Victory HMS Victory is a first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, started in 1759 and launched in 1765, most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar. She is the oldest naval ship still in commission, and now sits in dry dock in Portsmouth, England as a museum ship.[Note 1]. Although smaller than in its heyday, the naval base remains a major dockyard and base Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth (HMS Nelson) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the British Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth naval base is part of the city of Portsmouth, located on the eastern shore of Portsmouth Harbour north of the Solent and Isle of Wight. The base is home to for the Royal Navy The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s. In World War II the Royal Navy operated almost and Royal Marine Commandos whose Headquarters resides there. There is also a thriving commercial ferryport serving destinations on the continent for freight and passenger traffic.

The Spinnaker Tower The Spinnaker Tower is a 170 m –high tower in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. It is the centrepiece of the redevelopment of Portsmouth Harbour, which was supported by a National Lottery grant. Its shape was chosen by Portsmouth residents from a selection of concepts. The tower, designed by local firm HGP Architects and the engineering consultants is a striking recent addition to the city's skyline. It can be found in the redeveloped former HMS Vernon, an area of retail outlets, restaurants, clubs and bars now known as Gunwharf Quays.

The Portsmouth Urban Area Greater Portsmouth is an unofficial term sometimes used for the conurbation, but which sometimes refers only to Portsmouth, Havant and Waterlooville, and sometimes includes the whole of the Portsmouth Urban Area together with adjoining parts of West Sussex including Chichester, which is only 20 minutes away and hence is part of the Portsmouth covers an area with a population well over twice that of the city of Portsmouth itself, and includes Fareham The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation, Portchester Portchester is a small suburb to the northwest of Portsmouth, England. It is part of the borough of Fareham in Hampshire. Once a small village, Portchester is now a busy part of the expanding conurbation between Portsmouth and Southampton, on the A27 main thoroughfare. Its population according to the 2001 Census was approximately 17,000 residents, Gosport Gosport is a town, district and borough in Hampshire with around 79,000 resident inhabitants, with a further 5-10,000 during the summer months, situated on the south coast of England. Part of the South Hampshire conurbation, it lies on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour opposite the city of Portsmouth, to which it is linked by a, Havant Havant is a town in south east Hampshire on the South coast of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area (which includes the large suburbs of Leigh Park), Lee-on-the-Solent Lee-on-the-Solent, often referred to as Lee-on-Solent, is a small seaside town in Hampshire, England about five miles west of Portsmouth. The town is located on the coast of the Solent and forms part of the borough of Gosport. It is primarily a sleepy residential area, with an upsurge of mostly local visitors in summer, but is well known as home, Stubbington Stubbington is a large Hampshire village which is located between Southampton and Portsmouth on the south coast of England. It is within the borough of Fareham but is part of the parliamentary constituency of Gosport and Waterlooville Waterlooville is a town in Hampshire, England approximately 8 miles north of Portsmouth.

The suburbs of Portsmouth arguably form a conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area. In most cases, a conurbation is a polycentric urban agglomeration, in which transportation has developed to link areas to stretching from Southampton Southampton (pronounced /saʊθˈhæmptən/ ) is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated 100 km (62 mi) south-west of London and 30 km (19 mi) north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest. It lies at the northernmost point of Southampton Water at the to Havant on the M27 The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is 25 miles long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983, and there were plans to extend the motorway as far as Penzance to the west and Ramsgate to the east, with a number of smaller motorways connecting the city centres of Southampton and/A27 road The A27 is a major road in England. It runs from its junction with the A36 at Whiteparish in the county of Wiltshire. Heading east it closely parallels the south coast where it passes through West Sussex and terminates at Pevensey (near Eastbourne and Bexhill) in East Sussex along the coast, and north to Clanfield on the A3 road The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road for much of its length, follows the historic route between London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length it is classified as a trunk road and, apart from a section within the London conurbation and short section where the Hindhead Tunnel is.

The nickname Pompey is thought to have derived from shipping entering Portsmouth harbour making an entry in their logs as Pom. P. in reference to Portsmouth Point. Navigational charts also use this abbreviation.

Contents

History

Main article: History of Portsmouth Portchester Castle Portchester Castle is a medieval castle and former Roman fort at Portchester to the east of Fareham in the English county of Hampshire. It is located at grid reference SU624045, occupying a commanding position at the head of Portsmouth Harbour. The castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and a Grade I listed building. The castle has been in the.

There have been settlements in the area since before Roman times, mostly being offshoots of Portchester Portchester is a small suburb to the northwest of Portsmouth, England. It is part of the borough of Fareham in Hampshire. Once a small village, Portchester is now a busy part of the expanding conurbation between Portsmouth and Southampton, on the A27 main thoroughfare. Its population according to the 2001 Census was approximately 17,000 residents, which was a Roman base (Portus Adurni) and possible home of the Classis Britannica. Portsmouth is commonly regarded as having been founded in 1180 by John of Gisors (Jean de Gisors). Most early records of Portsmouth are thought to have been destroyed by Norman invaders following the Norman Conquest The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of the Kingdom of England by the troops of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and their victory at the Battle of Hastings (on the other side of the Channel in Southeast England) on 14 October 1066 over King Harold II of England. Harold's army had been badly depleted. The earliest detailed references to Portsmouth can be found in the Southwick Cartularies. However, there are records of "Portesmūða" from the late 9th century, meaning "mouth of the Portus harbour".[3]

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The annals were initially created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great. Multiple manuscript copies were made and distributed to monasteries across England and were independently updated. In entry for 501 claims that "Portesmuða" was founded by a Saxon warrior called Port, though historians do not accept that origin of the name. The Chronicle states that:

Her cwom Port on Bretene ⁊ his .ii. suna Bieda ⁊ Mægla mid .ii. scipum on þære stowe þe is gecueden Portesmuþa ⁊ ofslogon anne giongne brettiscmonnan, swiþe æþelne monnan. (Here Port and his 2 sons Bieda and Mægla came to Britain with 2 ships to the place which is called Portsmouth and slew a young British man, a very noble man.)

The battle is attested to in early Welsh sources as the Battle of Llongborth Geraint son of Erbin is a medieval Welsh poem celebrating the hero Geraint and his deeds the Battle of Llongborth. The poem consists of three-line englyn stanzas and exists in several versions all in Middle Welsh. The earliest surviving version is in the Black Book of Carmarthen, completed around 1250, though the poem may have been composed in the. The poem names the Chronicle's "young British man of nobility" as Geraint map Erbin.

Anglican cathedral

In the Domesday Book The Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror. "While spending the Christmas of 1085 in Gloucester, William had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over England to each shire to find out what or how much each landholder had in land there is no mention of Portsmouth. However, settlements that were later to form part of Portsmouth are listed. At this time it is estimated the Portsmouth area had a population not greater than two or three hundred. Whereas Portsea had a small church prior to 1166, Portsmouth's first real church came into being in 1181 when a chapel dedicated to Thomas Becket Thomas Becket , later also known as Thomas à Becket, was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II of England over the rights and privileges of the Church and was assassinated by followers of the was built by Augustinian monks and run by the monks of Southwick Priory until the Reformation The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th century England by which the Church of England first broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. The modern Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral is built on the original location of the chapel.

In 1194 King Richard The Lionheart Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Ireland, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period. He was known as Cœur de Lion, or Richard the Lionheart, returned from being held captive in Austria, and set about summoning a fleet and an army to Portsmouth, which Richard had taken over from John of Gisors. On May 2, 1194 the King gave Portsmouth its first Royal Charter In medieval Europe, royal charters were used to create cities . The date that such a charter was granted is considered to be when a city was "founded", regardless of when the locality originally began to be settled granting permission for the borough to hold a fifteen day annual "Free Market Fair", weekly markets, to set up a local court to deal with minor matters, and exemption from paying the annual tax, with the money instead used for local matters. King Richard later went on to build a number of houses and a hall in Portsmouth. The hall is thought to have been at the current location of the Clarence Barracks (the area was previously known as Kingshall Green). It is believed that the crescent and eight-point star found on the thirteenth century common seal of the borough was derived from the arms of William de Longchamp, Lord Chancellor to Richard I at the time of the granting of the charter.[4] The crescent and star, in gold on a blue shield, were subsequently recorded by the College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1484 by King Richard III, and is a corporate body consisting of the professional heralds who are delegated heraldic authority by the British monarch as the coat of arms A coat of arms strictly speaking is a distinctive design painted on a shield, but the term is also broadly applied to the heraldic achievement consisting of the shield and certain accessories; in either sense, the design is a symbol unique to a person, family, corporation or state. Such displays can also be called armorial bearings or devices, or of the borough.[5]

In 1200 King John John was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death. He acceded to the throne as the younger brother of King Richard I, who died without issue. John was the youngest of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, and was their second surviving son to ascend the throne; thus, he continued the line of Plantagenet reaffirmed the rights and privileges awarded by King Richard. King John's desire to invade Normandy Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the English Channel coast of Northern France between Brittany (to the west) and Picardy (to the east) and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands. The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part resulted in the establishment of Portsmouth as a permanent naval base, and soon afterward construction began on the first docks, and the Hospital of St Nicholas Saint Nicholas (270 - 6 December 346) is the canonical and most popular name for Nicholas of Myra, a saint and Greek Bishop of Myra (Demre, in Lycia, part of modern-day Turkey). Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting, which performed its duties as an almshouse and hospice. During the thirteenth century Portsmouth was commonly used by Henry III Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for fifty-six years from 1216 to his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready. England prospered during his reign and his greatest monument is Westminster, which he made the seat and Edward I Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial reform movement, supporting the as a base for attacks against France.

By the fourteenth century commercial interests had grown considerably. Common imports included wool, grain, wheat, woad, wax and iron, however the port's largest trade was in wine from Bayonne and Bordeaux.

Round Tower

In 1338 a French fleet led by Nicholas Béhuchet raided Portsmouth, destroying much of the town, with only the local church and hospital surviving. Edward III gave the town exemption from national taxes to aid reconstruction. Only ten years after this devastation the town for the first time was struck by 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. Henry V built the first permanent fortifications of Portsmouth. In 1418 he ordered a wooden Round Tower be built at the mouth of the harbour, which was completed in 1426. Henry VII rebuilt the fortifications with stone, raised a square tower, and assisted Robert Brygandine and Sir Reginald Bray in the construction of the world's first dry dock.[6] In 1527, with some of the money from the dissolution of the monasteries, Henry VIII built Southsea Castle. In 1545, he saw his vice-flagship Mary Rose founder off Southsea Castle, with a loss of about 500 lives, while going into action against the French fleet. Over the years Portsmouth's fortification was increased by numerous monarchs, although most of these have now been converted into tourist attractions.

In 1628 the unpopular favorite of Charles I George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham was stabbed to death in an Old Portsmouth pub by a veteran of Villiers' most recent military folly, John Felton. The murder took place in the "Greyhound" Public House (popularly known as "The Spotted Dog"), High Street; this is now a private building called Buckingham House and it bears a commemorative plaque to mark the event.[7]

During the English Civil War the arsenal at the Square Tower was surrendered by its royalist commander in return for safe passage out of the city for himself and the garrison.[8] The City would become a major base for the Parliamentary Navy during the war. The father of the Royal Navy Robert Blake during the Commonwealth would use Portsmouth as his main base, during both the Anglo Dutch war and the Anglo Spanish war. He died within sight of the city after his final cruise off Cadiz.

On 13 May 1787 11 ships sailed from Portsmouth, to establish the first European colony in Australia; it also marked the beginning of prisoner transports to that continent. It is known today as the First Fleet in Australia.[9]

HMS Warrior

Portsmouth has a long history of supporting the Royal Navy logistically, leading to its importance in the development of the Industrial Revolution. Marc Isambard Brunel, the father of famed Portsmouth engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, established in 1802 the world's first mass production line at the Portsmouth Block Mills, to mass produce pulley blocks for rigging on the Royal Navy's ships. At its height the Dockyard was the largest industrial site in the world.[10]

Admiral Nelson left Portsmouth for the final time in 1805 to command the fleet that would defeat the larger Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar.[11] The Royal Navy's reliance on Portsmouth led to the city becoming the most fortified in Europe,[10] with a network of forts (a subset of "Palmerston's Follies") encircling the city.[12] From 1808 the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron, who were tasked to stop the slave trade, operated out of Portsmouth. On December 21, 1872 a major scientific expedition, the Challenger Expedition, was launched from Portsmouth.

Gosport – Taken in 1960

In 1916 the town experienced its first aerial bombardment when a Zeppelin airship bombed it during World War I.[13]

In 1926 Portsmouth was granted city status,[14] following a long campaign by the borough council. The application was made on the grounds that Portsmouth was the "first naval port of the kingdom". Two years later the city received the further honour of a lord mayoralty.[15] In 1929 the city council added the motto "Heaven's Light Our Guide" to the medieval coat of arms. Apart from referring to the celestial objects in the arms, the motto was that of the Star of India. This recalled that troopships bound for the colony left from the port.[5] Further changes were made to the arms in 1970, when the Portsmouth Museums Trust sponsored the grant of crest, supporters and heraldic badge. The crest and supporters are based on those of the royal arms, but altered to show the city's maritime connections: the lions and unicorn have been given fish tails, and a naval crown placed around the latter animal. Around the unicorn is wrapped a representation of "The Mighty Chain of Iron", a Tudor defensive boom across Portsmouth Harbour.[16]

Old Portsmouth

The city was bombed extensively during World War II, destroying many houses and the Guildhall. Its status as a major port was the key factor in the Luftwaffe's decision to bomb it so heavily. While most of the city has since been rebuilt, developers still occasionally find unexploded bombs. Southsea beach and Portsmouth Harbour were military embarkation points for the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. Southwick House, just to the north of Portsmouth, had been chosen as the headquarters for the Supreme Allied Commander, US General Dwight D. Eisenhower, during D-Day.

930 people died in the air raids on Portsmouth and nearly 3,000 others were injured. There were also many injuries and deaths in the dockyard and naval and military establishments.[5]

After the war, much of the city's housing stock was damaged and more was cleared in an attempt to improve the quality of housing. Those people affected by this were moved out from the centre of the city to new developments such as Paulsgrove and Leigh Park. Post-war redevelopment throughout the country was characterised by utilitarian and brutalist architecture, with Portsmouth's Tricorn Centre one of the most famous examples. More recently, a new wave of redevelopment has seen Tricorn's demolition, the renewal of derelict industrial sites, and construction of the Spinnaker Tower.

Portsmouth Harbour, taken from Gosport showing Portsdown Hill in the centre and the city of Portsmouth on the right including the home of the Royal Navy, HMNB Portsmouth. Portsmouth harbour, with HMS Warrior on the left, Portsmouth Harbour railway station in the centre, and construction of the Spinnaker Tower on the right.

Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Portsmouth at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by the Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of pounds.

Year Regional Gross Value Added[4] Agriculture[1] Industry[2] Services[3]
1995 2,024 – 496 1,528
2000 2,750 – 658 2,092
2003 3,362 – 705 2,657
Note 1. includes hunting and forestry
Note 2. includes energy and construction
Note 3. includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
Note 4. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding

A tenth of the city's workforce works at Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, which is directly linked to the city's biggest industry, defence, with the headquarters of BAE Systems Surface Ships located in the city. BAE's Portsmouth Shipyard has been awarded a share of the construction work on the two new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.[17][18][19] This will create 3000 new jobs in the city.[20] There is also a major ferry port which deals with both passengers and cargo. The city is also host to the European headquarters of IBM, and the UK headquarters of Zurich Financial Services, and of the Grumman Aerospace Corporation.

The "Semaphore Tower" at HMNB Portsmouth. The Masts of HMS Victory are also visible in this picture

In the last decade the number of shops in Portsmouth has grown dramatically due to both the buoyancy of the local economy and improved transport links. In the city centre, shopping is centred around Commercial Road and the 1980s Cascades Shopping Centre, with over 100 high street shops between them. Recent redevelopment has created new shopping areas, including the upmarket Gunwharf Quays, containing fashion stores, restaurants, and a cinema; and the Historic Dockyard, which aims at the tourist sector and holds regular French markets, and an annual Christmas market. Large shopping areas include Ocean Retail Park, on the north-eastern side of Portsea Island, comprising shops requiring large floor space for selling consumer goods; and the Bridge Centre an 11,043 square metre shopping centre built in 1988, now dominated by the Asda Walmart store. There are also many smaller shopping areas throughout the city.

There is a small fishing fleet based in the city.

Tourism is also a growing sector of the economy.

The housing boom has also spurned economic growth with prices rising at a speed second only to London.

City Centre

The city centre is the main shopping area in Portsmouth, mainly sited around the shopping streets Commercial Road, Edinburgh Road, Arundel Street, Crasswell Street and Charlotte Street. The City Centre is home to the Cascades Shopping Centre and major high street stores including Debenhams, Wilkinson, Primark, H&M and supermarkets Tesco, Sainsburys and Iceland. To the north of the City Centre is the Victory Retail Park. Portsmouth and Southsea railway station (the city's central station) is located to the south of the city centre, close to the Guildhall and the Civic Offices. Just to the south of the Guildhall is Guildhall Walk, a street which is known for its bars and clubs, such as Walkabout, Bar Me & Route 66. Located in Edinburgh Road is the Portsmouth Roman Catholic cathedral and Victoria Park, also to the west of the city centre is the home ground of Portsmouth's second football team United Services Portsmouth Football Club.

Government and politics

Portsmouth Guildhall

The city is administered by Portsmouth City Council, a unitary authority. Portsmouth was granted its first charter in 1194. In 1904 the boundaries were extended to finally include the whole of Portsea Island. The boundaries were further extended in 1920 and 1932, taking in areas of the mainland. Until April 1, 1997 it formed the second tier of local government below Hampshire County Council. Portsmouth remains part of the ceremonial county of Hampshire for purposes such as lieutenancy and shrievalty. The city is divided into two parliamentary constituencies, Portsmouth South and Portsmouth North, represented in the House of Commons by, respectively, a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, Mike Hancock, and a Conservative MP, Penny Mordaunt.

The city council is made up of 42 councillors. As of May 2010, the Liberal Democrats have overall majority control of the city council, with 24 Liberal Democrat, 16 Conservative and 2 Labour.[21] Councillors are returned from 14 wards, each ward having three councillors. Councillors have a four year term, with one seat being contested in each ward in three years out of four.

Demographics

Population change[22]
Year Dwellings Population
1310 740 (est)
1560 1000 (est)
1801 5310 32,160
1851 12,825 72,096
1901 36,368 188,133
1951 233,545
1961 68,618 215,077
1971 197,431
1981 175,382
1991 177,142
2001 186,700

Portsmouth is a mainly white city in terms of race with 90.9% of the population belonging to this ethnic group. Portsmouth's long association with the Royal Navy has meant that it represents one of the most diverse cities in terms of the peoples of the British Isles, with many demobilised sailors staying in the city, in particular, Scots, English from the Industrial North East and Northern Irish. Former Prime Minister James Callaghan's father was a Protestant from Northern Ireland. Similarly, some of the largest and most established non white communities have their roots with the Royal Navy, most notably the large community from Hong Kong. Portsmouth's long industrial history in support of the Royal Navy has seen many people from across the British Isles move to Portsmouth to work in the factories and docks, the largest of these groups being the Irish Catholics (Portsmouth is one of 34 UK towns and cities with a Catholic cathedral;[23]) surnames like Doyle and Murphy are extremely common in Portsmouth.[24][25] Portsmouth is the City with the highest number of emigrants, in the UK, particularly the most skilled.[26] According to 2007 estimates, the ethnic breakdown of Portsmouth's population is as follows: 86.4% White British, 3.8% Other White, 1.7% Chinese, 1.6% Indian, 1.3% Mixed-Race, 1.2% Bangladeshi, 1.0% Other ethnic group, 0.9% Black African, 0.7% White Irish, 0.6% Other South Asian, 0.4% Pakistani, 0.3% Black Caribbean and 0.1% Other Black.[27]

Culture

The city has two theatres – both designed by the Victorian/Edwardian architect and entrepreneur Frank Matcham. The New Theatre Royal in Guildhall Walk near to the City Centre, specialises in classical, modern and avant-garde drama and the newly-restored Kings Theatre in Southsea's Albert Road has many amateur musicals as well an increasing number of national tours. Other venues include the Third Floor Arts Venue in the Central Library and the South Parade Pier, as well as the Portsmouth Guildhall itself, which hosts numerous musical events and an extensive annual programme of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and is on the national touring circuit of well known singers and groups [see below].

The city has three established music venues: The Wedgewood Rooms, The Pyramids and The Guildhall, an imposing neoclassical building designed by William Hill (architect) and based on an earlier design used for the town hall in Bolton. Since the late 1970s only three acts from the city have made the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart: the critically acclaimed indie/rock bands The Cranes and Ricky; plus the novelty pop act Same Difference.

For many years a series of symphony concerts has been presented at the Guildhall by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. In 1979, 1982, 1985, 1988 and 1991 the city was host to a major international string quartet competition, whose winners included the Takacs (Hungary), Endellion (UK), Hagen (Austria) and Ysaÿe (France) quartets. (The competition subsequently moved to London.) The Portsmouth Sinfonia (1970–1979) approached classical music from a different angle.

The city is home to professional football team, Portsmouth F.C., who play their home games at Fratton Park. They have two Football League titles (from 1949 and 1950) to their name. They are also previous holders of the FA Cup, having won the 2008 competition. Their other FA Cup triumph came in 1939. They returned to the top flight of English football (Premier League) in 2003, having previously been relegated in 1988 after just one season following an exile from the top flight that had stretched back some 30 years. Notable current and former players of the club include David James, Jermain Defoe, Sol Campbell, Peter Crouch, Robert Prosinečki, Alan Knight, Paul Walsh, Darren Anderton, Guy Whittingham, Micky Quinn, Mark Hateley and Jimmy Dickinson, who played more than 800 times for his only club and was never booked or sent off, earning him the sobriquet Gentleman Jim.

The City's second team, Moneyfields FC play in the Wessex Premier Division. Their home ground is Dover Road on the corner with Moneyfields Avenue. Their best season was 2008–09 when they finished third. The City's third team, United Services Portsmouth F.C. play in the Wessex League Division One. Portsmouth Rugby Football Club play their home games in the London Division 1 at Rugby Camp, Hilsea. Like many towns on the English south coast, watersports are popular here, particularly sailing and yachting. Locks Sailing Club at Longshore way is the city's premier dinghy sailing club[28]. The city's rowing club is located in Southsea at the seafront near the Hovercraft Terminal.

Portsmouth also runs its own series of concerts encompassing a range of music at the Bandstand in Southsea Common.

The city is also known for its vibrant south Asian community and is where Bollywood starlet Geeta Basra hails from. She was born and raised in the city where her family still live.

The City hosts yearly remembrances of the D-Day landings to which veterans from the Allied nations travel to attend.[29]

Portsmouth in popular culture

In literature, Portsmouth is the chief location for Jonathan Meades' novel Pompey,[30] in which it is inhabited largely by vile, corrupt, flawed freaks. He has subsequently admitted that he had never actually visited the city at that time. Since then he has presented a TV programme about the Victorian architecture in Portsmouth Dockyard.

In Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park, Portsmouth is the hometown of the main character Fanny Price, and is the setting of most of the closing chapters of the book.

In Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby, the hero and Smike make their way to Portsmouth and get involved in a theatrical troupe.

Graham Hurley's D.I. Faraday/D.C. Winter novels are all located in the city and surrounding area.

Portsmouth Point is an overture for orchestra by the English composer William Walton. The work was inspired by Rowlandson's print depicting Portsmouth Point. It was used as an opening for a Proms Concert in the 2007 season.

H.M.S. Pinafore, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, which is set in Portsmouth Harbour. Using the operetta music of Sullivan (arranged by Charles Mackerras) and The Bumboat Woman's Story by Gilbert, John Cranko's 1951 ballet Pineapple Poll is set at the quayside in Portsmouth.

In Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, Portsmouth is most often the port from which Captain Jack Aubrey's ships sail, and Portsmouth is mentioned at least once in each of the twenty books of the series.

Media

ITV1 Meridian is the local ITV television franchise. Portsmouth was one of the second-tier of cities in the UK to get a local TV station, MyTV, in 2001. The station later rebranded to PortsmouthTV, but its limited availability in some parts of Portsmouth had restricted its growth, and the station later went off-air as a result of the parent company becoming insolvent.

The local commercial radio station is 107.4 The Quay, while the city also has a non-profit community radio station Express FM on 93.7FM. Other radio stations based outside of Portsmouth, but received there are Heart FM, on 97.5FM, Galaxy South Coast (previously known as Power FM) on 103.2FM, Wave 105 on 105.2FM and BBC Radio Solent on 96.1FM. Original 106 launched on 1 October 2006; based in Southampton, they have a newsroom in the Portsmouth area. They are now under new ownership and on-air as Coast 106. Patients at Portsmouth's primary hospital Queen Alexandra and St Mary's hospital in Milton also have access to local programming from charity station Portsmouth Hospital Broadcasting, which is the oldest hospital radio service in the world commencing broadcasts in 1951.

When the first local commercial radio stations were licenced in the 1970s by the IBA, Radio Victory was the radio service for Portsmouth, however in 1986, due to transmission area changes (to formally include Southampton)by the IBA it was replaced by a new company and service called Ocean Sound, later renamed as Ocean FM. It is now known as Heart. From 1994 (the city's 800th birthday) Victory FM broadcast for three 28 day periods over an 18 month period. This service, relaunched on the channel listings guide and 'cable radio' of the South East Hampshire area's cable television network, was renamed Radio Victory. The station went on to win a Radio Authority small scale licence, launching on the 107.4FM frequency, on 19 September 1999. It was purchased from the founders by TLRC, who, due to poor RAJAR figures, relaunched the service in 2001 as The Quay, with Portsmouth Football Club purchasing a stake in the station during 2007 and selling in 2009. The station was taken over by UKRD in the early summer of 2009.

The city currently has one daily local newspaper known as The News, together with a free weekly newspaper, from the same publisher, called The Journal.

Crime

In the British crime survey of 2001, Portsmouth did not have a distinctly different profile from the other cities in its basic command unit profile.[31] However, for that period it did have a large number of sexual assaults and rapes. A BBC News report in May 2006 reported that it was Britain's worst city for sexual assaults and rapes, based on the 2001 British crime survey by the think tank Reform.[31][32] Police officers responded by saying "Police in Portsmouth have worked closely with partner agencies and the city council to develop a climate where victims feel confident to report rape, which is generally an under-reported crime" and that this could be the reason for the increased number of reported sexual assaults.[32] However, in a subsequent government survey, the number of reported sexual assaults and rapes had decreased by 22.8% bringing the rate below most large UK cities.[33]

HMP Kingston, a Category B & C prison is located near central Portsmouth.

Geography

East facing aerial view of Portsmouth (with Gosport in the foreground) View over Portsmouth from Portsdown Hill.

Most of the city of Portsmouth lies on Portsea Island, located where the Solent joins the English Channel. This makes Portsmouth the United Kingdom's only island city and the thirteenth most densely populated place in Europe. It is the second most densely populated place in the UK, after Inner London.[34] The island is separated from the mainland to the north by a narrow creek, bridged in places to make it—in appearance—a peninsula. The sheltered Portsmouth Harbour lies to the west of the island and the large tidal bay of Langstone Harbour is to the east.

Portsdown Hill dominates the skyline to the north, providing a magnificent panoramic view over the city, and to the south are the waters of the Solent with the Isle of Wight beyond. The climate of Portsmouth is much milder than the surrounding areas, with winter frosts being light and short lived and snow being quite rare. Temperatures rarely drop much below freezing due to being surrounded by water and the city being so densely populated. Portsdown Hill also protects the city from the cold northerly winds during the winter months. Summer temperatures can also be higher than some other south coast cities due to the "urban heat effect", a phenomenon which is caused by heat being reflected and retained by buildings. Located on the south coast, Portsmouth also receives more sunshine per annum than most of the UK. Being a seaside city, it is low-lying,with the majority of its surface area only about ten feet above sea level, the highest natural point on Portsea Island being Kingston Cross (21 feet) although the road surface over Fratton raliway bridge reaches 25. There are, therefore, dangers that rising sea levels as a result of global warming could cause serious damage to the city.

The west of the city is mainly council estates such as Buckland, Landport and Portsea. These were built to replace Victorian terraces destroyed by bombing in World War II. After the war the massive estate of Leigh Park (one of the largest housing developments of its kind in Europe) was built to solve the chronic housing shortage during the post-war reconstruction. Since the early 2000s the estate has been entirely under the jurisdiction of Havant Borough Council, but Portsmouth City Council remains the landlord for these properties, thus making it the biggest landowner in Havant Borough.

Part of Old Portsmouth ,the oldest part of the city, was known as Spice Island. Literally outside of the law once the city gates were closed, it was (in)famous for its pubs and other establishments that attracted sailors on their "runs ashore".

Districts of Portsmouth

(from north to south) Widley, Paulsgrove, Wymering, Cosham, East Cosham, Drayton, Farlington, Port Solent, North Harbour, Portsmouth|North Harbour, Highbury, Hilsea, Anchorage Park, North End, Kingston, Mile End, Tipner, Stamshaw, Copnor, Landport, Burfields, Buckland, Baffins, Moneyfields (northern Part of Baffins home to Ocean Retail Park and Moneyfields FC), Fratton, City Centre, Guildhall, Portsea, Old Portsmouth, Gunwharf (area around Gunwharf Quays), North Gunwharf (area around The Hard Interchange up the Royal Maritime Club), Southsea, Somerstown, Milton, Eastney and Langstone.

The areas of Bedhampton, Portchester, Purbrook and Waterlooville are infrequently referred to as being part Portsmouth however these areas are not within the city boundary.

Education

The city's post-1992 university, the University of Portsmouth, previously known as Portsmouth Polytechnic, has notable achievements in mathematics and biological sciences. Several local colleges also have the power to award HNDs, including Highbury College, the largest, which specializes in vocational education; and Portsmouth College, which offers a mixture of academic and vocational courses in the city. Additionally there are several colleges in the surrounding area, all of which offer a varying range of academic and vocational courses. Post-16 education in Portsmouth, unlike many areas, is carried at these colleges rather than at secondary schools.

In 2007 for the first time in over a decade, no school in Portsmouth was below the government's minimum standards and thus none of them was in special measures; nevertheless many still counted among the worst performing schools in the country.

Before being taken over by ARK Schools and becoming Charter Academy, St Luke's Secondary School was, in terms of GCSE achievement, one of the worst schools in the country. It has improved considerably in recent years. 21% of students achieved five GCSEs at grades A* - C including English and mathematics in 2009. The new academy's aim is that at least 80% will achieve this benchmark by 2014. Charter Academy operates its intake policy as a standard comprehensive taking from its catchment area rather than selecting on religious background. This is the opposite of its nearby rival St Edmund's RC school. Both Admiral Lord Nelson School and Miltoncross School were built recently to meet the demand of a growing school age population.

Portsmouth's secondary schools are to undergo a major redevelopment in the next few years with three being totally demolished and rebuilt, (St Edmund's, City Boys and King Richard's) and the remainder receiving major renovation work.

There is also a cohort of independent schools within the city – the oldest, founded in 1732[35], is The Portsmouth Grammar School which has been rated as one of the top public schools in the country[36]. There is also the Portsmouth High School, a member of the Girls Day School Trust, as well as Mayville College and St. John's College.

Tourist attractions

HMS Victory in dry dock.

Most of Portsmouth's tourist attractions are related to its naval history. In the last decade Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard has been given a much needed face-lift. Among the attractions are the D-Day museum (which holds the Overlord embroidery)[37] and, in the dockyard, HMS Victory, the remains of Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose (raised from the seabed in 1982), HMS Warrior (Britain's first iron-clad steamship) and the Royal Naval Museum.

Many of the city's former defences now host museums or events. Several of the Victorian era forts on Portsdown Hill are now tourist attractions. Fort Nelson is now home to the Royal Armouries museum,[38] Fort Purbrook and Fort Widley are activities centres.[39] The Tudor era Southsea Castle has a small museum, and much of the seafront defences up to the Round Tower are open to the public. The southern part of the once large Royal Marines Eastney Barracks is now the Royal Marines Museum.[40] There are also many buildings in the city that occasionally host open days particularly those on the D-Day walk which are seen on signs around the city which note sites of particular importance in the city to Operation Overlord.

Portsmouth's long association with the armed forces means it has a large number of war memorials around the city, including several at the Royal Marines Museum, at the dockyards and in Victoria Park. In the city centre, the Guildhall Square Cenotaph displays the names of the fallen, and is guarded by stone sculptures of machine gunners carved by the sculptor Charles Sargeant Jagger.[41] The memorial is inscribed:

“ THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF PORTSMOUTH IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF THOSE WHO IN THE GLORIOUS MORNING OF THEIR DAYS FOR ENGLAND'S SAKE LOST ALL BUT ENGLAND'S PRAISE. MAY LIGHT PERPETUAL SHINE UPON THEM. ”

—West face

The millennium project to build the Spinnaker Tower at Gunwharf Quays was completed in 2005. The tower is 552 ft tall and features viewing decks at sea level, 325 ft, 341 ft and 357 ft.

Other tourist attractions include the birthplace of Charles Dickens, the Blue Reef Aquarium (formerly the Sea Life Centre), Cumberland House (a natural history museum), The Royal Marines Museum and Southsea Castle. Southsea's seafront is also home to Clarence Pier Amusement Park.

Portsmouth is also home to the Genesis Expo, the UK's first (and to date only) creationist museum.

English Heritage and the Ministry of Defence are in the process of turning the Portsmouth Block Mills into a museum.

Places of worship

St John's Cathedral

Portsmouth is among only a few British cities that have two cathedrals; the Anglican cathedral of St Thomas, in Old Portsmouth and the Roman Catholic cathedral of St John the Evangelist, in Edinburgh Road, Portsea.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth was founded in 1882 by Pope Leo XIII. Vatican policy in England at the time was to found sees in locations other than those used for Anglican cathedrals and the Ecclesiastical Titles Act forbade a Roman Catholic bishop from bearing the same title as one in the established church. Accordingly, Portsmouth was chosen in preference to Winchester.[42]

In 1927 the Church of England diocese of Winchester was divided and St Thomas's Church became the cathedral for the newly created Diocese of Portsmouth.[43] When St Mary's Church, Portsea, was rebuilt in Victorian times, it had been envisaged that it might be the cathedral if Portsmouth became the seat of a bishop, but St Thomas's was given the honour because of its historic status.

Another historic old Portsmouth church, the Garrison Church, was bombed during World War II with the nave kept roofless as a memorial. Of more modern buildings, St Philip's Cosham is cited as a fine example of Ninian Comper's work. There are numerous other active churches and places of worship throughout the city. There are some mosques, a synagogue and a Jewish cemetery in the city.

The city also has three Salvation Army churches: Portsmouth Citadel, Portsmouth North and Southsea.

Transport and communications

Bus services

Local bus services are provided by First Hampshire & Dorset and Stagecoach serving the city of Portsmouth and the surroundings of Havant, Leigh Park, Waterlooville, Fareham, Petersfield and long distance service 700 to Chichester, Worthing and Brighton. Hovertravel and Stagecoach run the Hoverbus from the City Centre to Southsea Hovercraft Terminal and The Hard Interchange. Countryliner run a Saturday service to Midhurst. National Express services from Portsmouth run mainly from The Hard Interchange to London, Cornwall, Bradford, Birkenhead and Eastbourne. Many bus services also stop at The Hard Interchange. Other bus services run from the City Centre, from Commercial Road North or Commercial Road South other bus stops are on Station Street, Isambard Brunell Road and Edinbrough road. A new bus station has been proposed next to Portsmouth & Southsea Station replacing Commercial Road South bus stops and new bus stops and taxi ranks on Andrew Bell Street are to replace the Commercial Road North bus stops when the Northern Quarter Development is built.

Light rapid transit and monorail

There is an ongoing debate on the development of public transport structure, with monorails and light rail both being considered. A light rail link to Gosport has been authorised but is unlikely to go ahead following the refusal of funding by the Department for Transport in November 2005.[44] The monorail scheme is unlikely to proceed following the withdrawal of official support for the proposal by Portsmouth City Council, after the development's promoters failed to progress the scheme to agreed timetables.[45]

Roads

There are three main road links to the mainland, signposted as "Out of City" from the City Centre. These are the M275, A3 (London Road) and A2030 (Eastern Road). The M27 has a junction connecting to the M275 into Portsmouth. The A27 has a westbound exit onto the A3 (London Road) and a junction onto the A2030 (Eastern Road). The A3(M) road is a short section of motorway which runs from Bedhampton north to Horndean. There is a fourth link out of the city for cycles and motor-cycles, this links Hilsea and Cosham via Peronne Road with a bridge crossing the A27.

The A3 links Portsmouth with London, though much traffic uses the M27 and M3 to avoid traffic jams at Hindhead. The M27, M3 and A34 provide the other major routes to the Midlands and the North of England.

Cycling

The city is connected to Route 2 of the National Cycle Network.

Railways

The city has several mainline railway stations, on two different direct South West Trains routes to London Waterloo, via Guildford and via Basingstoke. There is also a South West Trains stopping service to Southampton Central (providing connections to Crosscountry services to Birmingham and Manchester), and a service by First Great Western to Cardiff Central via Southampton, Salisbury, Bath and Bristol. Southern also offer services to Brighton and London Victoria.

Portsmouth's stations are (in order, out of the city): Portsmouth Harbour, Portsmouth and Southsea, Fratton, Hilsea and Cosham (the last being on the mainland).

Ferries

Portsmouth Harbour has passenger ferry links to Gosport and the Isle of Wight. A car ferry service to the Isle of Wight operated by Wightlink is nearby. Britain's longest-standing commercial hovercraft service, begun in the 1960s, still runs (for foot passengers) from near Clarence Pier to Ryde, Isle of Wight, operated by Hovertravel.

Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port has links to Caen, Cherbourg-Octeville, St Malo and Le Havre in France, Bilbao and Santander, Cantabria, in Spain and the Channel Islands. Ferry services from the port are operated by Brittany Ferries, P&O Ferries, Condor Ferries and LD Lines. On 18 May 2006 Acciona Trasmediterranea started a service to Bilbao in competition with P&O's existing service. This service got off to a bad start when the ferry Fortuny was detained in Portsmouth by the MCA for numerous safety breaches. The faults were quickly corrected by Acciona and the service took its first passengers from Portsmouth on the 25 May 2006. During 2007 AT Ferries withdrew the Bilbao service at short notice, citing the need to deploy the Fortuny elsewhere. The port is the second busiest ferry port in the UK after Dover, handling around three million passengers a year and has direct access to the M275.

Airports

The nearest airport is Southampton which is approximately 20–30 minutes away by motorway, with an indirect South West Trains rail connection requiring a change at Southampton Central or Eastleigh.

Heathrow and Gatwick are both about 60–90 minutes away by motorway. Gatwick is directly linked by Southern services to London Victoria, while Heathrow is linked by coach to Woking, which is on both rail lines to London Waterloo, or by tube to either Victoria or Waterloo. Heathrow is directly linked to Portsmouth by National Express coaches.

Portsmouth had an airport with grass runway from 1932 to 1973; after its closure, housing, industrial sites, retail areas and a school were built on the site.

Communications

Currently the telephone area code for Portsmouth is 023[46] followed by an eight digit number (usually beginning with 92, although in recent times Portsmouth has used 93). Previously it was (01705), before that (0705).

Future developments

See also: List of tallest buildings and structures in Portsmouth Number One Tower, Gunwharf Quays.

Portsmouth will help build and be the home port of the two new Royal Navy aircraft carriers ordered in 2008, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. This has secured the base future for the next 40 years and will revitalise shipbuilding in the city.[47]

Development at Gunwharf Quays continued until 2007 with the completion of the 29-storey Number One Tower (formally East Side Plaza Tower and nicknamed Lipstick Tower). The development of the former Whitbread Brewery site has included the construction of a 22-storey tower known as the Admiralty Quarter Tower.[48] Also announced at the end of October 2008, a new 25-storey tower named 'Number One Portsmouth', which has been proposed at a height of 100 m (330 ft)and will stand opposite Portsmouth & Southsea Station on Surrey Street. As a result it will be 5 m (16.40 ft) taller than Number One Tower (Lipstick), therefore becoming Portsmouth's second tallest structure after the Spinnaker Tower. As of August 2009, internal demolition has started on the building that currently occupies the site.[49][50]

Portsmouth Northern Quarter redevelopment

Portsmouth's regeneration is being continued in the city centre with the demolition of the Tricorn Centre, a car park and shopping centre and housing development and a prominent but unpopular example of Brutalist architecture. The site was due to be transformed by 2010 to include shops, cafés and restaurants, a four-star 150-bed hotel, 200 residential apartments, and a 2,300-space car park.[51] However after numerous delays and having not begun construction at the time originally proposed, it will likely see a completion date after 2010.[52]

Portsmouth is in the midst of a continuing housing boom with many former commercial, industrial and military sites being converted into residential properties particularly large blocks of flats, leading to an increasing population. If demand upon services such as water and transport infrastructure continues to increase at the current rate demand will surpass maximum capacity in under 5 years.[53]

Portsmouth F.C. Stadium plans

In April 2007 Portsmouth F.C. announced plans to move away from Fratton Park, their home for 109 years, to a new stadium situated on a piece of reclaimed land on The Hard beside the Historic Dockyard. The £600m mixed use development, designed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron, would also include 1,500 harbourside apartments as well as shops and offices. The scheme has attracted considerable criticism due to its huge size and location.[54][55] It also involves moving HMS Warrior from her current permanent mooring. The HMS Warrior trust is refusing to move. In Autumn 2007 Portsmouth's local paper 'The News' published that the plans had been turned down as the supercarriers to be situated in Portsmouth dockyard sight lines would be blocked.

In answer to the Navy's objections regarding the supercarriers, Portsmouth FC have planned a similar stadium in Horsea Island near Port Solent. This plan will involve building a 36,000 seat stadium and around 1,500 apartments as single standing structures, not around the stadium as had been previously proposed. Yet the new plan also involves improving and saving land for the Royal Navy's diver training centre by the proposed site and buying a fair amount of land from the UK Ministry of Defence[56]. A new £7m railway station is to be built at Paulsgrove in Racecourse Lane near the site where there was originally a station. Along with these new roads towards the stadium, it has been proposed to build a new bridge from Tipner alongside the motorway[57] for people walking to the stadium. Park and Ride schemes would also be introduced. The development would have a link road to the Port Solent area which would neighbour the new stadium.

If the new proposals are accepted, the stadium is predicted to be finished for the 2011/12 season. As part of the plans, the club's previous stadium site at Fratton Park would also be redeveloped once the new stadium is completed. Make Architects has been commissioned to draw up designs for 750 new apartments on the site. Planning applications for the proposed development will be submitted in the autumn.

Notable residents

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the United Kingdom

Twin towns – Sister cities

Portsmouth is twinned with two European cities, and has sister and friendship links with a number of other places around the world.[58] Many of the schools in the local area conduct visits to the cities in order to educate its residents on foreign languages and culture.

Sister links

Friendship links

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Portsmouth
Hampshire portal

References

Notes
  1. ^ "Neighbourhood Statistics". http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276827&c=portsmouth&d=13&e=13&g=394575&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1206486958671&enc=1&dsFamilyId=1812.
  2. ^ Fox, Kieran (2008-05-13). "England | Hampshire | Pompey buck unfashionable trend". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7392989.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  3. ^ Oxford Dictionary of Place names
  4. ^ "The liberty of Portsmouth and Portsea Island: Introduction". A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 3. 1908. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41952. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  5. ^ a b Portsmouth City Council, (www.civicheraldry.co.uk), accessed February 25, 2008
  6. ^ http://www.johnsmilitaryhistory.com/portsmouth.html
  7. ^ Backhouse, Tim. "Old Portsmouth—Duke of Buckingham". Memorials and Monuments in Portsmouth. http://www.memorials.inportsmouth.co.uk/old-portsmouth/buckingham.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  8. ^ memorial plaque in the square tower
  9. ^ Monument to the founding of Australia, Old Portsmouth, along the hotwalls between the Square and the Round Tower
  10. ^ a b ABROAD AGAIN IN BRITAIN, BBC
  11. ^ "Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson 1758–1805". Portsmouth City Council's Economy, Culture and Community Safety. http://www.visitportsmouth.co.uk/history/207.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
  12. ^ "GALLERY: Defences that were never tested". Official website of Portsmouth. 2007-08-01. http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/GALLERY-Defences-that-were-never.3078128.jp. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  13. ^ "The Dockyard at War". Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/dockyard_war.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
  14. ^ London Gazette: no. 33154, pp. 2776–2777, April 23, 1926. Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  15. ^ J. V. Beckett, City Status in the British Isles, 1830–2002, London, 2005
  16. ^ Portsmouth's Coat of Arms, Portsmouth City Council, accessed February 25, 2008
  17. ^ "Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier Project Information". MoD. http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/ProjectFactsheets/QueenElizabethClassAircraftCarrierProjectInformation.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  18. ^ "MoD confirms £3.8bn carrier order". BBC News. 25 July 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/6914788.stm. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  19. ^ "Details on the merger of VT Group and BAE's ship building divisions". VT Group. http://www.vosperthornycroft.co.uk/newsandevents/newsdetails.asp?ItemID=709. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
  20. ^ BBC South Today and local newspaper The News
  21. ^ "Portsmouth". Election 2010. BBC. 7 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/council/html/3735.stm. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  22. ^ See History of Portsmouth for a list of references for this table.
  23. ^ "Cathedrals". Lovemytown.co.uk. http://www.lovemytown.co.uk/Cathedrals/CathedralsTable5.asp. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
  24. ^ Office of National Statistics
  25. ^ Portsmouth City Council
  26. ^ BBC South Today 11/4/08
  27. ^ http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=276855&c=portsmouth&d=13&e=13&g=411650&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1255786810250&enc=1&dsFamilyId=1812
  28. ^ [1] Portsmouth Sailing Club Home
  29. ^ "The pride and tears of D-Day". The News. 2006-10-12. http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/portsmouth-and-southsea?articleid=2934161. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  30. ^ 1993, ISBN 0-09-930821-5
  31. ^ a b British Crime Survey
  32. ^ a b 'Minimum rape risk' posed in city, BBC News Online, 23 May 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2007.
  33. ^ Government Report on Crime in England and Wales
  34. ^ England planning overhaul urged, BBC News Online, 5 December 2006. Retrieved 5 December 2006.
  35. ^ Bosberry-Scott, Wendy (2009), Which school?, John Catt Educational Ltd, p. 153, ISBN 9781904724667
  36. ^ [2] Top Ten best Grammar Schools in UK
  37. ^ "Bot generated title ->". D-Day Museum<!. 1944-06-06. http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  38. ^ Royal Armouries: Fort Nelson
  39. ^ "Learning is Fun !". Peter Ashley Activity Centres. http://www.peterashleyactivitycentres.co.uk/. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  40. ^ "Welcome to the Royal Marines Museum". Royalmarinesmuseum.co.uk. http://www.royalmarinesmuseum.co.uk/. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  41. ^ Tim Backhouse. "The Guildhall Square Cenotaph". Memorials & Monuments In Portsmouth. http://www.memorials.inportsmouth.co.uk/city-centre/cenotaph.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-04.
  42. ^ Diocese of Portsmouth, Catholic Encyclopedia, accessed February 17, 2008
  43. ^ Order in Council founding the Bishopric of Portsmouth (S.I. 1927/358), in effect May 1, 1927
  44. ^ Hampshire County Council (2005-11-29). "PROMOTER SLAMS GOVERNMENT FOR TRAM SCHEME `NO'". Hantsweb Press Release 2489. http://www.hants.gov.uk/press/2005/pr2489.html. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
  45. ^ "End of the line for monorail plan". The News. 2006-10-12. http://www.portsmouthtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=680&ArticleID=1817832. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
  46. ^ The National Telephone Numbering Plan – Published by Ofcom – 27 February 2009
  47. ^ Portsmouth News, 6/7/07.
  48. ^ "Admiralty Quarter, Portsmouth, Hampshire – Crest Nicholson, Crest Nicholson Regeneration". Findanewhome.com. http://www.findanewhome.com/south-east-england/hampshire/portsmouth/new-property-developments/admiralty-quarter/70e0d971-eaa8-4f76-ba1b-6cde79051673.fap. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  49. ^ Hotel bid ready to reach for the skies http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/portsmouth/Hotel-bid-ready-to-reach.4644370.jp
  50. ^ "Number One Portsmouth Planning Information". Numberoneportsmouth.co.uk. http://numberoneportsmouth.co.uk/. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  51. ^ "Northern Quarter Portsmouth City Centre Regeneration". Northernquarter.info. 2008-07-18. http://www.northernquarter.info/. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  52. ^ "Portsmouth Today – Northern Quarter". Portsmouth.co.uk. 2009-01-13. http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sectionhome.aspx?sectionid=1798. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  53. ^ SEEDA Report on Population Growth
  54. ^ Emily Pykett and Victoria Taylor, Pie-in-the-sky or a real winner for our city?, Portsmouth News, 26 April 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2007.
  55. ^ Majority say it's a threat to harbour, Portsmouth News, 4 May 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2007.
  56. ^ [3] Royal Navy training centre brought by Ministry of Defence
  57. ^ [4] New bridge over motorway in Portsmouth
  58. ^ Portsmouth City Council. Twinning. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
  59. ^ "Cities Twinned with Duisburg". www.duisburg.de. http://www.duisburg.de/micro/english/introducing/102010100000187829.php. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  60. ^ "List of Twin Towns in the Ruhr Destrict". © 2009 Twins2010.com. http://www.twins2010.com/fileadmin/user_upload/pic/Dokumente/List_of_Twin_Towns_01.pdf?PHPSESSID=2edd34819db21e450d3bb625549ce4fd. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
  61. ^ a b "Twin Towns in Hampshire". www3.hants.gov.uk. http://www3.hants.gov.uk/localpages/twintown.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  62. ^ "Twin City acitivities". Haifa Municipality. http://www.haifa.muni.il/Cultures/en-US/city/CitySecretary_ForeignAffairs/EngActs.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-14.

External links

Districts of South East England

Adur • Arun • Ashford • Aylesbury Vale • Basingstoke and Deane • Bracknell Forest • Brighton & Hove • Canterbury • Cherwell • Chichester • Chiltern • Crawley • Dartford • Dover • Eastbourne • East Hampshire • Eastleigh • Elmbridge • Epsom and Ewell • Fareham • Gosport • Gravesham • Guildford • Hart • Hastings • Havant • Horsham • Isle of Wight • Lewes • Maidstone • Medway • Mid Sussex • Milton Keynes • Mole Valley • New Forest • Oxford • Portsmouth • Reading • Reigate and Banstead • Rother • Runnymede • Rushmoor • Sevenoaks • Shepway • Slough • Southampton • South Bucks • South Oxfordshire • Spelthorne • Surrey Heath • Swale • Tandridge • Test Valley • Thanet • Tonbridge and Malling • Tunbridge Wells • Vale of White Horse • Waverley • Wealden • West Berkshire • West Oxfordshire • Winchester • Windsor and Maidenhead • Woking • Wokingham • Worthing • Wycombe Counties with multiple districts: Berkshire • Buckinghamshire • East Sussex • Hampshire • Kent • Oxfordshire • Surrey • West Sussex
Places with city status in the United Kingdom
England

Bath · Birmingham · Bradford · Brighton & Hove · Bristol · Cambridge · Canterbury · Carlisle · Chester · Chichester · Coventry · Derby · Durham · Ely · Exeter · Gloucester · Hereford · Kingston upon Hull · Lancaster · Leeds · Leicester · Lichfield · Lincoln · Liverpool · City of London · Manchester · Newcastle upon Tyne · Norwich · Nottingham · Oxford · Peterborough · Plymouth · Portsmouth · Preston · Ripon · St Albans · Salford · Salisbury · Sheffield · Southampton · Stoke-on-Trent · Sunderland · Truro · Wakefield · Wells · Westminster · Winchester · Wolverhampton · Worcester · York
Scotland Aberdeen · Dundee · Edinburgh · Glasgow · Inverness · Stirling
Wales Bangor · Cardiff · Newport · St David's · Swansea
Northern Ireland Armagh · Belfast · Derry · Lisburn · Newry
Ceremonial county of Hampshire
Hampshire Portal
Unitary authorities City of Portsmouth • City of Southampton
Boroughs or districts Borough of Basingstoke and Deane • District of East Hampshire • Borough of Eastleigh • Borough of Fareham • Borough of Gosport • District of Hart • Borough of Havant • District of New Forest • Borough of Rushmoor • Borough of Test Valley
Major settlements Aldershot • Alton • Andover • Basingstoke • Eastleigh • Fareham • Farnborough • Fleet • Gosport • Havant • Petersfield • Portsmouth • Ringwood • Southampton • Winchester See also: List of civil parishes in Hampshire
Rivers Avon, Beaulieu, Hamble, Itchen, Meon, Test, Wallington
Topics History • Parliamentary constituencies • Places • South Downs • Museums
Unitary authorities of England
Districts

Bath and North East Somerset · Bedford · Blackburn with Darwen · Blackpool · Bournemouth · Bracknell Forest · Brighton and Hove · Bristol · Central Bedfordshire · Cheshire East · Cheshire West and Chester · Cornwall · County Durham · Darlington · Derby · East Riding of Yorkshire · Halton · Hartlepool · Herefordshire · Isle of Wight · Kingston upon Hull · Leicester · Luton · Medway · Middlesbrough · Milton Keynes · North East Lincolnshire · North Lincolnshire · North Somerset · Northumberland · Nottingham · Peterborough · Plymouth · Poole · Portsmouth · Reading · Redcar and Cleveland · Rutland · Shropshire · Slough · Southampton · Southend-on-Sea · South Gloucestershire · Stockton-on-Tees · Stoke-on-Trent · Swindon · Telford and Wrekin · Thurrock · Torbay · Warrington · West Berkshire · Wiltshire · Windsor and Maidenhead · Wokingham · York
Councils

Bath and North East Somerset · Bedford · Blackburn with Darwen · Blackpool · Bournemouth · Bracknell Forest · Brighton and Hove · Bristol · Central Bedfordshire · Cheshire East · Cheshire West and Chester · Cornwall · County Durham · Darlington · Derby · East Riding of Yorkshire · Halton · Hartlepool · Herefordshire · Isle of Wight · Kingston upon Hull · Leicester · Luton · Medway · Middlesbrough · Milton Keynes · North East Lincolnshire · North Lincolnshire · North Somerset · Northumberland · Nottingham · Peterborough · Plymouth · Poole · Portsmouth · Reading · Redcar and Cleveland · Rutland · Shropshire · Slough · Southampton · Southend-on-Sea · South Gloucestershire · Stockton-on-Tees · Stoke-on-Trent · Swindon · Telford and Wrekin · Thurrock · Torbay · Warrington · West Berkshire · Wiltshire · Windsor and Maidenhead · Wokingham · York

Coordinates: 50°49′N 1°05′W / 50.817°N 1.083°W

Categories: Portsmouth | Local government in Hampshire | Ports and harbours of Hampshire | Unitary authorities of England | 1180 establishments | Towns in Hampshire | Ports and harbours of the English Channel | Port cities and towns in the United Kingdom | Populated coastal places in Hampshire | Cities in South East England

 

The above information uses material from Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Some facts may not have been fully verified for accuracy. [Disclaimers]
This page was last archived by our server on Wed Jul 28 22:15:49 2010. [ refresh local cache ]
Displaying this page or its contents does not use any Wikimedia Foundation's resources.
The owners of this site proudly support the Wikimedia Foundation.

[Hide]▼
'Portsmouth' News
Portsmouth suffer the pre-season tour from hell - ESPN
soccernet.espn.go.com
Portsmouth suffer the pre-season tour from hell - ESPN
Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:33:03 GMT+00:00
suffer the pre-season tour from hell espn by Soccernet staff Portsmouth boss Steve Cotterill will be a relieved man with the club's North American tour finally over, which ended with a 4-0 thrashing ... Three goals by DC United's Danny Allsopp bury Portsmouth Washington Post Danny Allsopp: Nets Three in Bizarre DC/ Portsmouth Match Rotowire Portsmouth's disastrous American tour ends in a crushing defeat Telegraph.co.uk Daily Mail  - The Guardian  - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
Google News Search: Portsmouth,
Mon Jul 26 07:54:22 2010
'Portsmouth' Images
92 jpg
football-pictures.net
92 jpg
487px x 767px | 62.90kB

[source page]



Yahoo Images Search: Portsmouth,
Sat Jul 10 12:59:12 2010
'Portsmouth' Blogs
Utaka keen on Black Cats switch - Portsmouth Today
portsmouth.co.uk
Utaka keen on Black Cats switch - Portsmouth Today

unknown

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:29:33 GM

Utaka keen on Black Cats switch - John Utaka has told Sunderland he wants to join them in the Premier League.

Google Blogs Search: Portsmouth,
Wed Jul 7 05:04:54 2010
'Portsmouth' Answers
How long does it take to take A3 Road from Portsmouth to London?
Q. If I take A3 road, I can directly reach London coming from Portsmouth right?
Asked by Cockney - Thu Apr 16 04:45:16 2009 - - 4 Answers - 0 Comments

A. The A3 is about 77 miles long, taking 2h15m depending on traffic. This will get you from Portsmouth to London, although most traffic out of Portsmouth is sent up the M275, A27 and then the A3(M) to get on to the A3 proper - using this makes it one mile longer and 15 minutes shorter.
Answered by Johnny - Thu Apr 16 05:49:14 2009

Yahoo Answers Search: Portsmouth,
Sun Feb 14 06:56:19 2010
[Hide]▲