Portsea Island
 Closeup map of Portsea Island | |
  Portsea | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Solent |
| Coordinates | 50°49′N1°04′W/ 50.81°N 1.07°W |
| Area | 24.542 km2(9.476 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
England | |
| County | Hampshire |
| City | Portsmouth |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 207,100 (2010) |
| Pop. density | 8,438.59/km2(21855.85/sq mi) |
Portsea Islandis a flat and low-lying natural island 24.5 square kilometres (9.5 sq mi; 6,100 acres) in area, just off the southern coast ofHampshireinEngland.Portsea Island contains the majority of the city ofPortsmouth.
Portsea Island has the third-largest population of all theislands in the British Islesafter the mainlands ofGreat BritainandIreland;it also has the highest population density of any British Isle, and Portsmouth has the highest population density of any city in the UK outside ofLondon.[1]
To the east of Portsea Island liesHayling Island,separated byLangstone Harbour.To the west is the peninsular mainland town ofGosport,separated byPortsmouth Harbour.To the south, it faces into theSpitheadarea of the widerSolent.A narrow tidal channel along the northern edge of Portsea Island, known asPortsea Creek,separates Portsea Island from the mainland.[2]
Three roads connect Portsea Island to the mainland road network; theM275 motorway,theA3 London Road(split on two separate bridges) and theA2030 Eastern Road.There are also two pedestrian and bicycle bridges over Portsea Creek. In Portsmouth Harbour, a road bridge connects Portsea Island toWhale Island,a restrictedRoyal Navyshore base establishment.
Portsea Island has four railway stations (Portsmouth Harbour,Portsmouth & Southsea,FrattonandHilsea) connected by an island branch line to the mainland railway network via a short railway bridge over Portsea Creek. In addition there are ferry services toGosport(on the mainland),Hayling Islandand theIsle of Wight.There are also ferries tothe Channel Islands,northernFranceand northernSpain.
Portsea Island gives its name to a neighbourhood of Portsmouth historically known asThe Common,now formally known asPortseaand also thePortsea Parishof the island.
Etymology[edit]
Portsea's name is derived from theLatinwordportus,meaning 'harbour' and theSaxonwordēġ(pronounced/i͜yːj/,'ee'), orea(also pronounced 'ee') meaning 'island'. Portsea Island was previously named with a Latin–SaxonPortus eg(orPortuseg) name (alternativelyPortus eaorPortusea). Local people began adding the additionalIslandnoun after thePortuseg(orPortusea) name in later times after the Saxonēġandeameaning had become lost.[3]
History[edit]
Two Bronze Age hoards[4]and a hoard of Roman coins[5]have been found on the island. In 979 AD the island was raided by Danes.[6]At the time of theDomesday Book,three manors were recorded as being on the island.[7]
Localities (A–Z)[edit]
Baffins[edit]
Adjoining the easterngreen belt,this extends into the heart of the Baffins neighbourhood which has a large pond and the grounds ofPortsmouth College.[citation needed]
Buckland[edit]
Buckland is a central neighbourhood at the heart of the island, directly north of Kingston and north-east of Landport.
Copnor[edit]
Copnor is an area on the eastern side of Portsea Island. AsCopenore,it was one of the three villages listed as being on Portsea Island in the Domesday book.
In the late 19th and early 20th century the rapid expansion of Portsmouth saw the original village engulfed. The west of the district is now a predominantly residential area of 1930s housing, while the east is an industrial and commercial area.
It was originally intended to have a railway station; the intermediate station between Havant and Portsmouth Town stations when the line opened. However, this never materialised, in spite of the large gap between stations, and the existence of a signalled level crossing for many years (now a bridge). A "Station Road" was laid out, and still exists, however construction on the station never began.
Eastney[edit]
Fronting the beach along the southern shore is the promenade road of Eastney, which includes is punctuated by three forts, small Eastney Fort West (dismantled), Eastney Fort East and largeFort Cumberland,which occupies a modest peninsula. Eastney is the most south-eastern area of Portsea island and forms part of the entrance intoLangstone Harbour.Eastney offers a marina (confusingly named as "Southsea Marina" ) and also a foot-passenger ferry service across Langstone Harbour to neighbouringHayling Island.
Eastney Lake, a natural tidal inlet of Langstone Harbour is located on the northern side of the Eastney peninsular, with Milton on the opposite northern side of Eastney Lake. A small enclosed lagoon nicknamed 'The Glory Hole' is located on the southern side of Eastney Lake, and is refilled with Langstone Harbour's salt-water on high spring tides. Eastney Lake is also known by locals as 'Eastney Creek' or 'The Creek'.
Fratton[edit]
Fratton is aresidentialand light industrial area ofPortsmouth.It consists mostly ofVictorianterraced houses, and is typical of the residential areas in the city. There is also a modest shopping centre on Fratton Road,The Bridge Centre,built on the site of a large formerCo-opdepartment store, now dominated by a largeAsdasupermarket, which reflects the working-class naval and industrial heritage of the Fratton district, with localised rather than centralised low-budget shops and cafés.
Fratton railway stationis one of four stations remaining on Portsea Island and forms part of thePortsmouth Direct line.To the east of Fratton railway station there isFratton Traincare Depot,a train maintenance depot. The large former Fratton railway goods yard was cleared in the late 1990s and early 2000s, making way for a retail park.
[edit]
Hilsea[edit]
Hilsea is the north-western district of the city, with a mixture of residential and industrial/retail/distribution areas. It is home to one of Portsmouth's main sports and leisure facilities, the Mountbatten Centre andTrafalgar School.Among its smallgreen beltto the north and west is Portsmouth rugby football club.
Anchorage Parkis a 1980s housing development which occupies the north-eastern portion of Hilsea. Anchorage Park was formerly the location ofPortsmouth Airport,Hilsea which was closed in 1973.
Kingston[edit]
This small central, typical, terraced district of the city has a few high-rise developments and is entirely residential.
Landport[edit]
Residential parts of Landport are separated from its trade and distribution premises alongside its Albert Johnson Quay by the M275/A3 where the roads change designation. In the westernmost street of this residential side is a large oldlistedhorse trough and row of listed four homes, theCharles DickensBirthplace Museum in his birthplace home, and Mile End Chapel (a studio). A section of the original main Portsmouth to LondonA3 roadbetween Commercial Road, Landport and Kingston Crescent is locally known as Mile End Road area. Landport is also home to the former Mile End House School, which was a boyspreparatory schoolfounded by George Lewin Oliver, who later became a founding director ofPortsmouth Football Clubon 5 April 1898 and club chairman on 27 July 1912.
Mile End[edit]
SeeLandport
Mile End began as a small 18th century settlement built on the London to PortsmouthA3 road,amile to the northof the mainLandport Gateentrance to the walled town of Portsmouth (nowOld Portsmouth).[8]Mile End was consumed within the rapid urban development of the growing Landport and Buckland areas during the 19th and 20th centuries. Much like neighbouring Rudmore, Mile End's proximity to Portsmouth's naval dockyard during World War II caused extensive damage and redevelopment of the Mile End area post-war.
However, remnants of Mile End still survive to present day along a narrow area of Portsea Island's west shoreline; Mile End Road is the official name of a section of the A3 road to the north of Commercial Road which extends northwards through Mile End (alongside theM275 motorway) towards the Rudmore Roundabout intersection with Kingston Crescent in North End. To the west of Mile End Road is the Mile End Industrial Estate.[9]
NovelistCharles Dickenswas born at 1 Mile End Terrace, Mile End on 7 February 1812, which has since been renamed 393 Old Commercial Road, Landport.[8]
Milton[edit]
Milton is a suburban residential district of the city of Portsmouth with two large public parks, namedMilton ParkandBransbury Park,which were both once farms. Milton is located on the south eastern side of Portsea Island and is bordered on the east by Langstone Harbour. Eastney lies to the south, Southsea to the south west, Baffins to the north and Fratton to the west. Milton was originally a small farming village on Portsea Island, surrounded by farmland until it was swallowed up by city expansion in the early years of the 20th century.Portsmouth Football Club'sFratton Parkstadium, despite its name, was built on land purchased from Milton Farm and is still located in the Milton Ward area of Portsmouth, south of the city's railway line, the boundary of the neighbouring Fratton Ward area.
North End[edit]
North End is a mainly residential area to the centre-north of the island. Its name reflects its origin as a northern expansion of the (then) village of Kingston, forming the "northern end" of Kingston. North End is built on land which was formerly Stubbington Farm, part of which retains the street name of Stubbington Avenue.
Old Portsmouth[edit]
Old Portsmouth lies on the south west corner of Portsea Island and forms the eastern side of the narrow entrance toPortsmouth Harbourat theports mouth.Old Portsmouth contains most of the traditionalHigh Streetand heritage of the original old town of Portsmouth, includingPortsmouth Point(also known as "Spice Island" ) and theCamber Dock.Landport Gate, the 1760 main entrance gateway to the old walled town of Portsmouth still stands in its original location, on what is now St George's Road in Old Portsmouth. The main London to PortsmouthA3 roadran northwards from Landport Gate, which created the settlement of Landport just to the north of Old Portsmouth. A mile north from Landport Gate also gave rise to the Mile End settlement and the Mile End Road name.
Portsea[edit]
Portseais an area of the city ofPortsmouth,occupying much of the south-west area around the naval base. It was originally known asThe Common,but had its name changed in 1792, taking its present name from Portsea Island on which it stands.[3]In its past, Portsea was a separate settlement to the north of the town of Portsmouth (now Old Portsmouth) before being integrated into theBoroughof Portsmouth in 1904, andCityof Portsmouth in 1926.
EngineerIsambard Kingdom Brunelwas born in Britain Street in 1806;[10]and the professorWilliam Garnettwas born in Portsea on 30 December 1850.
The Portsea area was formerly an expanse of common land located between the original walled town of Portsmouth and the nearbydockyard.The Common,as it was named, began developing as a new settlement at the end of the 17th century as a response to overcrowding within the walls of theold townof Portsmouth. This development worried the governor of the dockyard, as he feared that the new buildings would provide cover for any forces attempting to attack. In 1703, he threatened to demolish any buildings within range of the cannons mounted on the dockyard walls. However, after a petition to Queen Anne, royal consent for the development was granted in 1704. Part ofThe Common'sshoreline in Portsmouth Harbour became known asThe Common Hard,so-named as its slopedhardclay shoreline was convenient for hauling boats into and from Portsmouth Harbour. In 1792 the name of the area was changed fromThe CommontoPortsea(afterPortsea Island), and by then it had a mixed dockside population.
William Tucker,baptised there in 1784, was convicted of shoplifting from a Portsea tailor, William Wilday, in 1798 and transported to New South Wales on the "death ship"Hillsboroughwhich took convicts and typhus with it from Portsmouth to the colony. Tucker escaped and made it all the way back to Britain in 1803, only to be taken to Portsmouth for re-embarkation to Australia. He was later asealer,established the retail trade inpreserved Maori headsand settled inOtago,New Zealandwhere he became that country's first art dealer before falling victim to his hosts in 1817 and being eaten.[11]The novelistSarah Doudneywas born in Portsea on 15 January 1841.[12]
Hertha Ayrton,British engineer, mathematician, physicist and inventor, was born there in 1854.
By the start of the 20th century, Portsmouth council had started to clear much of theslumhousing in Portsea. The city's firstcouncil houseswere built in the district in 1911. The 1920s and 1930s saw extensive redevelopment of the area, with many of the older slums being replaced by new council houses.[13]
The area's proximity to the dockyard resulted in its taking massive bomb damage duringWorld War II.After the war the area was redeveloped as all council housing, in a mixture of houses, maisonettes and tower blocks.
Portseais also the name of areligious parish of Portsea Islandand the city of Portsmouth,
Portsea's shoreline today still remains known asThe Hardand is home toThe Hard Interchange,a bus and coach terminus andPortsmouth Harbour railway station,which is built on a pier to the south ofThe Hard.
Rudmore[edit]
Rudmore is the name of a former residential district on the western side of Portsea Island near to the naval base and the present-dayPortsmouth International Port.Rudmore was heavily bombed during World War II and was reduced to rubble. After the war, Rudmore was cleared to make way for theM275 motorwayspur and the intersection junction now known as the "Rudmore Roundabout".
Somerstown[edit]
Somerstown is an inner city residential district of Portsmouth that was first founded in the early nineteenth century on land owned by a Mr. Somers, in whose name the district is now named.
Southsea[edit]
Southsea occupies the southern end of Portsea Island, within a mile (1.6 km) of Portsmouth's city centre and Portsmouth Harbour. Originally named Croxton Town after the land owner, a Mr. Croxton, Southsea grew into a popular Victorian seaside resort in the nineteenth century.[14]Southsea has a thriving commercial area with well-known high street chains, and numerous independent traders which includes restaurants, bars, charity shops, food retailers and furniture/household goods shops. From 1999, Southsea had its own separate town council, but was reintegrated back into Portsmouth City Council in 2010.
From 1885, Southsea had its own railway branch line, named theSouthsea Railway.The Southsea Railway incorporated three stations atJessie Road Bridge Halt,Albert Road Bridge Haltand a terminus station calledEast Southseaat Granada Road. The railway line ran south off a branch line fromFratton Station.The Southsea Railway was closed in 1914 due to economic competition from trams. Railway track and stations were subsequently removed and replaced with roads and housing. On a modern map of Portsmouth, the route of the Southsea Railway can still clearly be seen from the arrangement of the newer housing and roads which replaced it.
Stamshaw[edit]
This residential area of terraced streets includesAlexandra Park,and theMountbatten Sports Centre.To the north lieTipnerandHilsea,and to the south areKingston,Bucklandand Commercial Road, the main retail area of the city. Stamshaw is bounded to its west by theM275 motorwayandWhale Island,and to the east isNorth End.The main thoroughfares of Stamshaw, Twyford Avenue and Stamshaw Road, are two axes of a one-way traffic system.
Aneponymousinfant and junior school serve it. Its park adjoining the feeder road terminating at the city centre (with motorway status) has large fields and an adventure playground.
Tipner[edit]
This small north-west corner has the public parkland point,Tipner Point,and is a mixture of road use, retail/distribution and residential.
Mainland suburbs of Portsmouth[edit]
Farlington,Drayton,Cosham,WymeringandPaulsgrove(includingPort Solent) are suburbs of Portsmouth built on the mainland ofGreat Britain,not Portsea Island, all sharing thePO6 postcode area.
References[edit]
- ^Dyckhoff, Tom (15 September 2018)."Where to move for... other people".The Guardian.Retrieved8 February2021.
- ^Villars, Paul (1887).England, Scotland, & Ireland, a picturesque survey of the United Kingdom and its institutions.Routledge.p. 242.
- ^ab"A history of Portsea, Portsmouth".14 March 2021.
- ^Rudkin, David J. (1980).Early man in Portsmouth and South-East Hampshire.Portsmouth [Hampshire]: Portsmouth City Council. p. 14.ISBN0-901559-40-7.OCLC7158310.
- ^Gates, William G.; Peake, Nigel (1987).The Portsmouth that has passed: a panorama of a thousand years.Horndean: Milestone. p. 10.ISBN1-85265-111-3.OCLC16084050.
- ^Osborne, Mike (2011).Defending Hampshire: the military landscape from prehistory to the present.Stroud, Gloucestershire: History Press. p. 26.ISBN978-0-7524-5986-8.OCLC751832981.
- ^Quail, Sarah; Hunt, Yvonne (1994).The origins of Portsmouth and the first charter.Portsmouth City Council. p. 2.ISBN0-901559-92-X.OCLC30977379.
- ^ab"The role of Portsmouth in the Dickens family – Charles Dickens' Birthplace Museum".charlesdickensbirthplace.co.uk.
- ^https:// portsmouth.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/bus-business-locations-business-premises-industrial-estates-and-business-parks-Portsmouth.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^Brindle, Steven (2005).Brunel: the man who built the world.London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 28.ISBN0-297-84408-3.OCLC60512655.
- ^Entwisle, Peter (2005).Taka: a vignette life of William Tucker 1784-1817: convict, sealer, trader in human heads, Otago settler, New Zealand's first art dealer.Port Daniel Press.ISBN0-473-10098-3.OCLC76967689.
- ^Doudney's ODNB entry:Retrieved 7 December 2011. Subscription required.
- ^Lambert, Tim (14 March 2021)."A History of Council Houses in Portsmouth".Local Histories.
- ^"A History of Southsea".localhistories.org.Retrieved16 April2018.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
