History of Portsmouth

Portus Adurni which later became known as Portchester Castle, was one of the Saxon Shore forts and was a major base of the Classis Britannica and possibly its Headquarters.

[1] In 1194, after he returned from being held captive by Duke Leopold V of Austria, King Richard I (The Lionheart) set about summoning a fleet and an army to Portsmouth, which he had taken over from John of Gisors.

[2] On 2 May 1194 the king gave Portsmouth its first royal charter granting permission for the city to hold a fifteen-day annual fair (which became known as the Free Market Fair), weekly markets (on Thursdays), to set up a local court to deal with minor matters,[2] and exemption from paying the annual tax ("farm") of £18 a year—instead the money would be used for local matters.

As a crescent and an eight-point star (as appear on the city's coat of arms) were to be found on both the seals of King Richard and William de Longchamps it is commonly thought that this may have been the source of them, although there is no known documentary evidence for this.

At about the same time Pierre des Roches, Bishop of Winchester, founded Domus Dei (Hospital of St Nicholas) which performed its duties as an almshouse and hospice until 1540 when like other religious buildings it was seized by King Henry VIII.

Common imports included wool, grain, wheat, woad, wax and iron, however the port's largest trade was in wine from Bayonne and Bordeaux.

[6] In 1338, a French fleet led by Nicholas Béhuchet arrived at Portsmouth docks flying English flags before anyone realised that they were a hostile force.

As a result of this, King Edward III gave the remaining townsfolk exemption from national taxes so that they could afford to rebuild the town.

It was at this time that Robert Brygandine and Sir Reginald Bray, with the support of the king, commenced the building in Portsmouth of the country's first dry dock.

[10] During the English Civil War, the city was initially held by the royalist faction before falling to parliament after the Siege of Portsmouth in September 1642.

[11] In 1665, Charles II of England ordered Bernard de Gomme to begin the reconstruction of Portsmouth's fortifications a process which was to take many years.

[citation needed] From 1808, the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron, who were tasked to stop the slave trade, operated out of Portsmouth.

[22] Council housing was built on a large scale from the 1920s onwards, with families from inner city slums being rehoused on new estates including Paulsgrove, mostly in the north of Portsmouth.

Nazi German Luftwaffe night-time air raids began on 24 August 1940 when 1,320 high explosive bombs and 38,000 incendiary devices were dropped on the city, damaging 30 churches, eight schools, one hospital and over 80,000 homes.

Public buildings, such as the Southsea Baths and Assembly Rooms, located adjacent to Clarence Pier were so extensively damaged they would be demolished after the war.

On 4 July 1968, an estimated 250,000 people witnessed the return of Alec Rose, a greengrocer in Osborne Road, after he completed his single-handed circumnavigation in Lively Lady; he was knighted immediately and made Freeman of the City of Portsmouth.

In 2003 erection was started of a 552 feet high Spinnaker Tower sited at Portsmouth Harbour, and celebrating the city's maritime tradition.

Completed in 2005, the tower has twin concrete legs meeting at half height to form a single column from which steel sails are mounted; an observation deck at the top provides a view of the city and harbour for tourists.

In late 2004, the Tricorn Centre, dubbed "The ugliest building in the UK" was finally demolished after years of delay and wrangling over the cost of doing so, and controversy as to whether it was worth preserving as an example of 1960s Brutalist architecture.

[27] In 2005, Portsmouth was a focus for Sea Britain, a series of events to mark the 200th anniversary (bicentenary) of Lord Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.

In particular, in June, there was the massive Fleet Review, by HM Queen Elizabeth II and a mock battle (son et lumière) that evening, after dark.