Southsea in Portsmouth

All day in Southsea in Portsmouth. I have  a direct connection to Portsmouth. I went after two nights at work. I admit I was tired but the weather looked to be nice and I wanted to rest in the fresh air. I planned to walk along the coast starting from the old town of Portsmouth to the Fort of Cumberland. Unfortunately Ford was closed for visitors. On the way I visited Southsea Castle of Henry VIII. I looked at the Rose garden and Rock garden. Interesting quiet place for those who want to rest in quite place. Unfortunately, the weather changed this afternoon and I had  to use the bus to come back. When buying a ticket on a bus I met an unpleasant driver who sold the ticket with a horrible face that he had to give me the rest of the other to  do me a great favor. It was not pleasant. But unfortunately, we meet with such people in our live. My English is not so good but I'm not afraid to speak. I expect some understanding only. England for me is not just a job but also learning about this beautiful country and getting to know people. I  have to get my face to the opposition of foreigners in England, and there are some. I can say that there are more of them now. Shame 

I usually use the train to go somewhere. I'm happy to have direct train to London and Portsmouth now

Warrior was the brainchild of Admiral Baldwin Walker and was designed by Isaac Watts, the Navy's chief constructor. The idea was for a ship that would have unbeatable speed, unmatched firepower and impenetrable protection. Warrior boasted steam powered engines and 48,400 square feet of sale. Warrior was equipped with a propeller that could be disengaged and lifted out of the water to stop it dragging when Warrior was under sail power. She was also fitted with telescopic funnels that could be lowered to allow the sails to capture the wind.
Warrior used 68 pounder guns and bigger on one long deck which technically made her a frigate but was 120feet longer than any previous warship ever built. The guns were protected by an armoured box or citadel which was built of 11cm wrought iron plate which was bolted on to 46cm of teak which in turn was attached to the ships 1.6cm hull. In May 1859 the keel of Warrior was laid at the Thames Ironworks in London. In autumn the ship received the name Warrior. On 29th December 1860 Warrior was launched by the first Lord Sir John Pakington and by 1st August she was ready for her first commission.

The spinnaker tower is situated at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour within the Gunwharf Quays development. It is 170 metres tall and consists of three viewing decks the bottom of which has a section of glass floor. On a clear day you can see for 23 miles. The high-speed lift will whisk you to the top of the tower at a speed of 4 metres per second, taking just 30 seconds to reach the top of the tower.
The Spinnaker tower was opened to the public in October 2005 and the towers distinct design can be seen for miles around and at night the tower is illuminated.
The towers first illumination was coincided to take place as part of the Trafalgar 200 celebration on the 28th June 2005. The tower is built in the sea and employed many state of the art engineering techniques to construct it. The tower offers viewing decks at 100m, 105m and 110m and is two and a half times the height of Nelson’s column.

Old Portsmouth was where Portsmouth started and it now houses many historic buildings.
Lets take a brief look at Old Portsmouth's history, In 1704 royal permission was given for people to build houses near to the dockyard and so a new suburb called Portsmouth Common grew, this changed its name to Portsea in 1792. This new suburb soon outgrew the original town, which became known as Old Portsmouth. The area called Old Portsmouth is located on the south western tip of the island.
The area of Old Portsmouth is also known as Spice Island which is where all the spices used to enter the city. The area features many historical buildings and features. The old defences are still in place and you can walk along the hot walls, part of the fortifications for the harbour entrance. The area of Old Portsmouth is these days home to the fishermen of Portsmouth.
The Spur Redoubt is the point where Nelson left Portsmouth to join Victory for the Battle Of Trafalgar in 1805. Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson would have left the George Hotel in the High Street by the back door to avoid the crowds that had gathered to bid him farewell and headed along Pembroke Road before cutting across Governors Green in front of the Garrison Church and going through the tunnel in the ramparts to join Victory.
The hot walls are used by many people to wave goodbye to Naval personnel as they embark on a tour of duty or to welcome a ship back. King James’ Gate stood in Broad Street and was the entrance to the town. The gate would have had a huge stone arch and would have been manned by soldiers. There would have been a moat with a drawbridge that soldiers would have raised to closed off the part of the town known as spice island in the evenings. The gate is now the entrance to the United Services Recreation Ground.

beautiful view at Harbour

a lot of benches to sit and look at sea view

The Square Tower at the bottom of the High Street is believed to date from the time of Edward III, who first ordered the town enclosed. In the early Tudor days it served as a residence for the Governor, and after that the official was provided quarters in the old "Domus Dei" the tower was then converted into a powder magazine. In the early years of the 1800s there was an introduction of a semaphore on top of the square tower, but with the introduction of the electric telegraph the semaphore was no longer needed and was demolished in 1848. The Royal Yacht Squadron then tried to secure the Tower for a Club House but without success.

Isle of Wight

 

The Royal Garrison Church is the oldest British Garrison Church in the world and has been called "The British Military Cathedral". But the church dates back to 1212. The Domus Dei, Gods House, was founded in Old Portsmouth by Bishop de Rupibus in 1212 as a Hospice, to shelter and help pilgrims from overseas bound for the Shrine at Canterbury, Chichester and Winchester. Originally it was a long, vaulted hall, divided on either side into bays to house patients, with the Chapel at one end. In the hall the aged, sick and homeless were tended by six Brethren and six Sisters. As the importance of Portsmouth grew as a Garrison Town, so did the importance of the Domus Dei. The Chancel of the present Church was the Chapel of the old Domus Dei and the Nave of the Church was the Hospital of Domus Dei.
In 1449 Henry VI sent the Bishop of Chichester to the Church in order to pay the sailors and soldiers of the Garrison. Due to a disagreement in the amount of pay, the Bishop was murdered. For this the town was excommunicated and remained so for fifty years.
The Church was closed in 1540 when the religious houses were dissolved by Henry VIII, the buildings were then used for a brief time as an Armoury. Later the south side of Domus Dei was converted into a residence for the Governor of Portsmouth and was called Government House.

 

The Royal Naval Memorial on Southsea Common. It looks over the Solent and is a memorial which honours those whose lives were lost at sea during the two World Wars. The obelisk, bearing the names of those lost in World War I, was unveiled by the Duke of York on 15th October 1924. The extension to the monument carries the names of those lost in World War II. The monument carries the names of 24,558 men and women who died in both World Wars.

Portsmouth's Sea Forts consist of Spitbank fort, St Helens Fort, Horse Sand Fort and No Mans Land Fort. Spitbank fort was designed to provide a defence for Portsmouth Harbour from French Invaders. Work began on Spitbank in 1861 and in June 1878 the fort was completed. It was intended to mount 15 guns looking seaward, and six facing landward. The construction of the fort had cost £117,964.
In 1871 the Defence Committee recommended that the fort be rearmed with more powerful guns. Nine, 12.5-inch, 38-ton guns were installed on the seaward face and seven 7-inch 7-ton guns on the landward side. In 1882, Spitbank Fort was supplied with auxiliary armament in the form of 15 machine guns.
In 1899, the role of the fort was changed to counter light craft instead of heavy warships. Two 4.7-inch guns were fitted on the roof and searchlights were added. In 1956, the Coast defence program was disbanded and the searchlights and generators removed from the fort the following year. The forts never came under attack and in 1952 the fort was sold. Now Spitbank fort is open to the public.
St Helens Fort, Horse Sand Fort and No Mans Land Fort were all built at a similar time and were never attacked. These forts are privately owned and not open to the public.

Southsea Castle
Built in 1544, the Castle was part of a series of fortifications constructed by Henry VIII around England's coasts to protect the country from invaders. Barely was the work completed when Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose, tragically sank in front of the Castle. During the English Civil War, nearly a century later, the Castle was captured for the only time in its history, by Parliamentarian forces.
Over the centuries, Southsea Castle's defences were strengthened so that it could continue to protect Portsmouth. In the 19th Century a tunnel was built to defend the Castle moat. Visitors can still enter the tunnel and see how the Castle would have been defended against invaders.
The Castle has had many other uses besides defence. For a while it was a military prison. A lighthouse was built in the 1820s, and is still in use by shipping today. In 1960 the Castle left military service. It was acquired by Portsmouth City Council, which restored the Castle to its 19th Century appearance.

 

 

 

Clarence Pier taken from Old Portsmouth. Clarence pier was built in 1861 and was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales who attended a concert. Up until 1873 a tramline ran from Portsmouth Town Railway Station onto the pier and was used for taking passengers to the Isle Of Wight onboard steamers. In 1905 the Pier was extended to take extra boat traffic into account and still further extensions were made in 1932 when a café, sun deck and hall were added. After being bombed during World War II the pier re-opened in its present form on 1st June 1961.

Rock garden

Rose garden

 

 

Fort Cumberland is located on the south eastern corner of Portsmouth. It was built to control the entrance to Langstone Harbour and to improve the defences of Portsmouth Dockyard. An earthwork battery was built on Eastney Point to defend access to Langstone Harbour by 1716. Work began on a new Fort in 1747 and this first fort was star shaped.
The second Fort Cumberland was pentagonal in shape with projecting defensive earthworks and was built mainly of brick and Portland limestone and it was the last bastion-traced fort to be built. The fort was completed in 1812 with the Guardhouse and Storehouse being retained from the first fort.
Fort Cumberland featured vaulted casemates within the curtain wall and the stores, men and powder were moved to the relative safety of the curtain wall. In 1858 Fort Cumberland was transferred from the War Department to the Board of Admiralty and in 1859 the fort became the temporary headquarters of the Royal Marine Artillery.