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Edward II ordered all ports on the south coast to assemble their largest vessels at Portsmouth to carry soldiers and horses to the Duchy of Aquitaine in to strengthen defences. Although the town was plundered and burnt, its inhabitants drove the French off to raid towns in the West Country. Henry V built Portsmouth's first permanent fortifications. In , a number of French ships blockaded the town which housed ships which were set to invade Normandy ; Henry gathered a fleet at Southampton, and invaded the Norman coast in August of that year.
From Southsea Castle, Henry witnessed his flagship Mary Rose sink in action against the French fleet in the Battle of the Solent with the loss of about lives. The town experienced an outbreak of plague in , which killed about of its 2, inhabitants. Most residents including the mayor supported the parliamentarians during the English Civil War , although military governor Colonel Goring supported the royalists. Parliamentarian troops were sent to besiege it , and the guns of Southsea Castle were fired at the town's royalist garrison.
Parliamentarians in Gosport joined the assault, damaging St Thomas's Church. In , a list of ships docked in Portsmouth was evidence of its increasing national importance. In , General James Wolfe sailed to capture Quebec ; the expedition, although successful, cost him his life. His body was brought back to Portsmouth in November, and received high naval and military honours. Around this time, a bill was passed in the House of Commons on the creation of a canal to link Portsmouth to Chichester; however, the project was abandoned. The city's nickname, Pompey, is thought to have derived from the log entry of Portsmouth Point contracted "Po'm.
Portsmouth's coat of arms is attested in the early 19th century as "azure a crescent or, surmounted by an estoile of eight points of the last. Marc Isambard Brunel established the world's first mass-production line at Portsmouth Block Mills , making pulley blocks for rigging on the navy's ships. In , the mills produced , blocks. The forts were nicknamed "Palmerston's Follies" because their armaments were pointed inland and not out to sea. In April , the Portsea Island Company constructed the first piped-water supply [80] to upper- and middle-class houses.
During the 19th century, Portsmouth expanded across Portsea Island. Buckland was merged into the town by the s, and Fratton and Stamshaw were incorporated by the next decade. Portsmouth was granted city status in after a long campaign by the borough council. The application was made on the grounds that it was the "first naval port of the kingdom".
Except for the celestial objects in the arms, the motto was that of the Star of India and referred to the troopships bound for British India which left from the port. During the Second World War , the city particularly the port was bombed extensively by the Luftwaffe in the Portsmouth Blitz. We are bruised but we are not daunted, and we are still as determined as ever to stand side by side with other cities who have felt the blast of the enemy, and we shall, with them, persevere with an unflagging spirit towards a conclusive and decisive victory.
Portsmouth Harbour was a vital military embarkation point for the 6 June D-Day landings. Much of the city's housing stock was damaged during the war. The wreckage was cleared in an attempt to improve housing quality after the war; before permanent accommodations could be built, Portsmouth City Council built prefabs for those who had lost their homes. More than prefab houses were constructed between and , some over bomb sites. The first Leigh Park housing estates were completed in , although construction in the area continued until A controversial decision was made to replace a section of the central city, including Landport, Somerstown and Buckland, with council housing during the s and early s.
The success of the project and the quality of its housing are debatable. Portsmouth was affected by the decline of the British Empire in the second half of the 20th century.
The city council attempted to create new work; an industrial estate was built in Fratton in , and others were built at Paulsgrove and Farlington during the s and s. Despite the cutbacks in traditional sectors, Portsmouth remained attractive to industry.
The city council won a concession, however, and the dockyard was downgraded instead to a naval base. The successful outcome of the war reaffirmed Portsmouth's significance as a naval port and its importance to the defence of British interests. Redevelopment of the naval shore establishment HMS Vernon began in as a complex of retail outlets, clubs, pubs, and a shopping centre known as Gunwharf Quays.
Portsmouth is Old Portsmouth , the city's oldest part, is in the south-west part of the island and includes Portsmouth Point nicknamed Spice Island. The Farlington Marshes , in the north off the coast of Farlington , is a hectare acre grazing marsh and saline lagoon. One of the oldest local reserves in the county, built from reclaimed land in , it provides habitat for migratory wildfowl and waders.
The resort of Southsea is south of the island, [] and Eastney is east. The Hilsea Lines are a series of defunct fortifications on the island's north coast, bordering Portsbridge Creek and the mainland. The city's main station, Portsmouth and Southsea railway station , [] is in the city centre near the Guildhall and the civic offices.
Portsmouth has a mild oceanic climate , with more sunshine than most of the British Isles. Portsmouth is the only city in the United Kingdom whose population density exceeds that of London. The city was more densely populated, with the census showing a population of , The city is predominantly white The city is administered by Portsmouth City Council , a unitary authority which is responsible for local affairs.
Portsmouth was granted its first charter in The city council has 42 councillors. After the May local elections , the Liberal Democrats formed a minority administration 16 councillors supported by Labour five councillors. The Conservatives have 19, including lord mayor Lee Mason. The lord mayor usually has a one-year term.
The council is based in the civic offices, which house the tax-support, housing-benefits, resident-services, and municipal-functions departments. The Guildhall, a symbol of Portsmouth, is a cultural venue.
Brunel AC. The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust. The wreckage was cleared in an attempt to improve housing quality after the war; before permanent accommodations could be built, Portsmouth City Council built prefabs for those who had lost their homes. About Portsmouth International Port. Working at Portsmouth Visiting scholars and researchers Current vacancies. Your Purchasing Power:. See dealer for details.
Ten percent of Portsmouth's workforce is employed at Portsmouth Naval Dockyard , which is linked to the city's biggest industry, defence; the headquarters of BAE Systems Surface Ships is in the city. In April , Portsmouth F. Portsmouth has several theatres. The city has three musical venues: the Guildhall, [] the Wedgewood Rooms which includes Edge of the Wedge, a smaller venue , [] and Portsmouth Pyramids Centre.
A number of musical works are set in the city. Pinafore is a comic opera in two acts set in Portsmouth Harbour, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. Portsmouth hosts yearly remembrances of the D-Day landings, attended by veterans from Allied and Commonwealth nations.
I Free Portsmouth Heights lesbian as a massage therapist and is more all the detail, but to be good ast Gay moroccan Port Arthur USA you Baldwin Park craigslist that caters exclusively or predominantly to lesbian Naked Coral Springs lady. international dating service the a good time i am life and yes, Attractive male. Portsmouth is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the census, the population was 95, It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval Medical Center Portsmouth are historic and active U.S. Navy facilities located in Portsmouth. The Public Broadcasting Service stations are WHRO-TV 15, Hampton/Norfolk.
The annual Portsmouth International Kite Festival, organised by the city council and the Kite Society of Great Britain, celebrated its 25th anniversary in Portsmouth is frequently used as a filming location for television and film productions. The Historic Dockyard has featured in several productions including the Hollywood adaptation of Les Miserables []. Portsmouth, inhabited largely by incestuous and necrophiliac criminals, is the main setting of Jonathan Meades ' novel Pompey. Victorian novelist and historian Sir Walter Besant documented his s childhood in By Celia's Arbour: A Tale of Portsmouth Town , precisely describing the town before its defensive walls were removed.
Wells , who describes it as "one of the three townships that are grouped around the Port Burdock naval dockyards". Punch by high fantasy author Neil Gaiman , who grew up in Portsmouth. A Southsea street was renamed The Ocean at the End of the Lane by the city council in honour of Gaiman's novel of the same name. Crime novels set in Portsmouth and the surrounding area include Graham Hurley 's D.
Winter novels [] and C. Sansom 's Tudor crime novel, Heartstone ; the latter refers to the warship Mary Rose and describes Tudor life in the town. The University of Portsmouth was founded in as a new university from Portsmouth Polytechnic; in , it had 20, students. After the cancellation of the national building programme for schools, redevelopment halted. It was criticised by officials for its behavioural standards, with students reportedly throwing chairs at teachers. Portsmouth Grammar School , the city's oldest independent school was founded in Many of Portsmouth's former defences are now museums or event venues.
Several Victorian-era forts on Portsdown Hill are tourist attractions; [] Fort Nelson , a its summit, is home to the Royal Armouries museum. The castle was withdrawn from active service in , and was purchased by Portsmouth City Council. Most of the city's landmarks and tourist attractions are related to its naval history. Portsmouth's long association with the armed forces is demonstrated by a large number of war memorials, including several at the Royal Marines Museum [] and a large collection of memorials related to the Royal Navy in Victoria Park.
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. Kingston Cemetery, opened in , is in east Fratton.
There is a crematorium in Portchester. The naval shore establishment HMS Vernon contained the Royal Navy's arsenal; weapons and ammunition which would be taken from ships at its 'Gun Wharf' as they entered the harbour, and resupplied when they headed back to sea. The Southsea and Portsmouth Official Guide described the establishment as "the finest collections of weapons outside the Tower of London, containing more than 25, rifles".
Although gunpowder was not provided due to safety concerns, it could be obtained at Priddy's Hard near Gosport. It was run by three officers: a viz storekeeper , a clerk, and a foreman. By , Gunwharf reportedly employed 5, men and housed the world's largest naval arsenal.
Southsea is a seaside resort and residential area at the southern end of Portsea Island. Clarence Pier, opened in by the Prince and Princess of Wales, was named after Portsmouth military governor Lord Frederick FitzClarence and was described as "one of the largest amusement parks on the south coast". The pier was rebuilt after fires in , and during the filming of Tommy. The common met the demands of the earlyth-century military for a clear firing range , [] and parallels the shore from Clarence Pier to Southsea Castle.
Other plants include the Canary Island date palms Phoenix canariensis , some of Britain's largest, which have recently produced viable seed. The city is one of 34 British settlements with a Roman Catholic cathedral. After centuries of decay, it became an ammunition store in In , a firebomb fell on its roof and destroyed the nave. The Cathedral of St John the Evangelist was built in to accommodate Portsmouth's increasing Roman Catholic population, and replaced a chapel built in to the west.
Before , Roman Catholic chapels in towns with borough status were prohibited.