My day out in Pompey

The city of Portsmouth is built on an island -- Portsea Island, in fact -- and here we are, looking across Portsea Creek towards Portsmouth:


As you can see from this next photo (Portsmouth is on the right bank, mainland Hampshire on the left), no-one cared very much for Portsea Creek, so it now forms the foundations for the M27 south coast motorway:


Portsmouth is, of course, the headquarters of the Royal Navy and it is very much an Admiralty town. For years, their Lordships refused permission for the railway to enter Portsmouth since, by doing so, it would have to smash through the defensive wall built along Portsea Creek to protect the town's northern flank.


Eventually, of course, commerce won, and today the railway goes right through the city (stations at Fratton, Hilsea, Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour), ending up here, right on the waterfront:


Unlike most similar cities Portsmouth lacks a single, grand central terminus. Although Portsmouth Harbour is the end of the line, Portsmouth & Southsea is probably the main station, such as it is:


The station has "high level" platforms -- two tracks that run through the station and on to the Harbour -- all other south-bound trains terminate at the low level:


Although the high level isn't much to look at (there are more magnificent stations on the Docklands Light Railway...), the view from the end of the platforms shows you both the gradient of the track and this rather fine view of 4-aspect signals, each in sequence:


A lot of Portsmouth consists of Georgian architecture, from its hey-day, really. It has economically stagnated over the years since then, the gushing flood of defence spending no longer being spent in ways that are to the city's advantage:


But there used to be a lot of civic pride in Portsmouth:


And the Victorians and Edwardians added their fair share of civic pomp:


It always pays to look up at this type of architecture:


There are usually little pavilions-in-the-sky, or perky pediments in abundance.


Which is just as well because often the whole composition can look a bit underwhelming (too bulky to allow you to concentrate, but not significant enough in its own right, if you know what I mean):


And there's usually a sculpture or two to provide distraction:


In a city like this, of course, lions are two-a-penny:


And obviously this is not a particularly friendly city for republicans like me:


Indeed, there are some not-so-subtle signs around which leave you in no doubt about the city's affiliations:


Although maybe I'm being over-sensitive:


No tour of Portsmouth would be complete without paying homage to Horatio Nelson at his flagship, HMS Victory. Apparently a rather unprepossessing man, very short, with bits shot off here and there, his hair in a long waxed knot, Nelson is one of England's genuine heroes -- and a delightfully flawed human one, at that.


A fellow Norfolkman, Nelson had the bloody-minded stubborness and native cunning that seem to be frequent in those parts.


I'm no military expert but, if for nothing else, I admire him for his willful act of defiance against his cautious commander, Admiral Sir Hyde Parker. He was ordered by Parker to withdraw from confrontation with the Danish Navy, the order conveyed by signal flags...


... An officer on Nelson's ship pointed out that an order had been given, at which Nelson famously clapped his telescope to his blind right eye and dismissively said: "I see no signal".


While lots of lovely Georgian architecture remains, the city was devastated in Second World War bombing with the unfortunate consequence that lots of cheap and not very good architecture was slung-up in the 50s and 60s. It can have an air of desolation about it:


Although some of the 50s stuff, in particular, can be almost jaunty:


The same can't really be said of the 70s stuff:


Still, at least the infamous Brutalist Tricorn Centre has now been demolished.

I think that's probably enough about Portsmouth for now.