Description
Portsmouth, including the outlying districts of Southsea, Portsea, Fratton, and Northsea, forms a large and populous county borough, situated on the island of Portsea, south of Hampshire. It is 74 miles by rail SW of London, 18 SE of Southampton, and 44 W of Brighton. The population of the town in 1801 was 30,000; in 1831, 42,306; in 1851, 72,096; in 1871,113;569, in 1881,127,989; and in 1891, 159,255. It returns two members to Parliament, has a borough council consisting of fourteen aldermen and forty-two councillors, and is the seat of a county court. The town is provided with four railway stations, of which that situated in Commercial Road is the principal. The others are found at Fratton, Southsea E, and Portsmouth harbour, the latter being provided to suit the convenience of passengers travelling to the Isle of Wight. The arrangements are in the hands of the London, Brighton, and South Coast, and London and South-Western Companies, between which a mutual understanding has been arrived at, and rivalry in external communication is thus unknown. Internally, accommodation for travelling is supplied by means of tram and 'bus, under the management of the Provincial Tramways Company. The outlying districts are thus closely connected, and by the same means holiday-seekers are enabled within a very short time to enjoy the breezy heights of Portsdown Hill and the adjacent villages.
History.-Much dispute has arisen concerning the origin of the name. It is supposed that it was formerly called Llongporth. Some authorities assert that Portsmouth was so called on account of its close proximity to Porchester, the Roman fort, being situated at the mouth of the harbour or port. Others agree that the name began with Forth, a Saxon who burned the town in 481. But whether these opinions are correct or not, it is certain that at the time of the Domesday survey there was an influential family living here of the name of Port, while Hugh de Port, who was recognized as the greatest Hampshire baron, held the manors of Applestede and Buckland-the latter of which names is in use to the present day. It is a curious fact that although the actual name of the town is not mentioned in Domesday, the manors of Copnor, Fratton, and Buckland, districts now included within it, are found there.
History is somewhat silent concerning the early days of the town, but since the times of the Saxons it has been known as an important seaport, until to-day it is recognized as being the greatest naval arsenal in the world. Many are the deeds of daring with which the name of Portsmouth is associated, and so closely are its interests allied with the records of the sea that to write its history would in a large measure retell the story of England's navy. In 1066, during the time that William the Conqueror was arranging his descent on the shores of England, Harold II. was here fitting out a fleet with which to meet him ; and twenty years later William himself raised a fleet at the same port, and set sail for Normandy. Here Robert, Duke of Normandy, landed in 1101 to dispute the crown with his brother Henry I., who himself wore the crown here in 1123 instead of at Gloucester. The first oranges ever seen in England were brought to Portsmouth by a Spanish vessel in 1290.
The first charter was granted to the town by Richard I. in 1194, and since that time many others have been granted by various monarchs. Under Elizabeth the corporate body was first styled the mayor and burgesses, while Charles I. further extended the title to that of mayor, aldermen, and burgesses. The earliest charter to be found among the corporation records is that bearing date 1384, although a copy of that dated 1194 is still preserved.
Portsmouth has been burned several times by a foreign invader. In 1336 it was destroyed by the French, and again in 1377, although on the latter occasion they were driven back to their ships with great slaughter. Edward III. seemed to anticipate the naval reviews of modern times by ordering all the seaport towns in 1372 to fit out vessels to be assembled at Portsmouth. In 1416 Henry V., intent on invading France, was here blockaded by a French fleet, and from here afterwards embarked for Normandy, fa 1445 Adam de Moleyns, Bishop of Chichester, and keeper of the king's privy seal, after paying sailors at the port, was dragged from the Domus Dei by a party of ruffians and cruelly murdered. One hundred years later the town was in imminent danger of being invaded by the French, whose fleet gathered at Spithead under the command of D'Anne-bault. The action, which lasted for two days, and was witnessed by Henry VIII., proved very indecisive at first, but ultimately the invading fleet was driven back to its native shore with great loss. During the action the Mary Rose, the largest of the English ships, was lost. The French have claimed the honour of sinking her, but from evidence adduced it is generally agreed that she heeled over by the weight of her own ordnance, and, her port-holes being open, sank with about 600 souls, including her commander, Sir George Crew. A graphic account of the action is given by the historian Fronde, who has suggested that the watchword of the English fleet at night was perhaps the origin of the national anthem. The challenge was, "God save the king!" the answer, " Long to reign over us'"
On 5 Oct., 1623, Charles I. arrived at Portsmouth from, his travels through France and Spain. This event is commemorated by a bust of that monarch let into a niche in the town wall at the end of the High Street. Beneath the bust is the following inscription :-" King Charles the First, after his travels through all France into Spain, and having passed very many dangers both by sea and land, he arrived here 5th day of October, 1623." General the Lord-Viscount Wimbledon, military governor of the town, subsequently ordered that no signboards of the neighbouring inns should. be allowed to obscure his majesty's statue, and intimated that he had given orders to all officers and soldiers to remove their hats in passing. On 23 Aug., 1628, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, was murdered at a house then known as the " Spotted Dog," situated in the High Street, by Felton, who. was arrested in the house and subsequently hanged at Tybum, his body being hung in chains on Southsea Beach. During the early part of the Civil War the town was a Royalist stronghold, Colonel Goring having declared openly for the king on 2 August, 1642. The town was besieged by the Parliamentary forces from 12 Aug. to 7 Sept., when a surrender was made, and the Royalist leader took ship for Holland. In 1740 Admiral Lord Anson left Portsmouth to-inflict whatever injury he could upon Spanish commerce, and returned to Spithead in 1744, having circumnavigated the globe in three years and nine months. On 14 March, 1757, a tragedy was enacted on board the Monarque in Portsmouth harbour which will long remain as a stain upon the British sense of justice. Admiral Byng, having been convicted by court-martial of what was probably only an error of judgment, was shot before his fellows by six marines in order to satisfy political feeling. The Royal George was sunk at Spithead through carelessness on 29 Aug., 1782, when about 900 souls were lost, including her commander, Admiral Kempenfelt. Many of the bodies recovered were interred in St Mary's Churchyard. From the harbour Lord Nelson sailed in 1803, and to it his corpse was brought on board. the Victory in December, 1805, after the memorable battle of Trafalgar. Queen Victoria first visited the town in 1842,, from which she has since many times sailed on her annual journeys to Osborne and the Continent. Recent events need no recording. The naval reviews at Spithead have been of national interest, and the amity shown to the French in 1891 was one of those graceful acts which tend so much to-strengthen the bonds of international peace.
Beach, Esplanade, &c.-Protected on the N by Portsdown Hill and on the S by the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth can boast of many natural advantages. Lapped by the sea, but never lashed by the fury of its storms, this southern port is the resort of many health-seekers, who, with the villages of Eastney, Milton, and Copnor on the E, and Hilsea and Cosham on the N, may readily alternate country scenery with the natural beauty of the seashore. It is only during recent years that Sonthsea has gained favour as a fashionable watering-place, and now, as a result of its fortunate situation and the enterprise of its people, it ranks with the foremost in the kingdom. The Clarence Esplanade, crowning the magnificent pebble-beach, is one of the finest marine promenades on our southern coast; and the Isle of Wight, viewed across the water, presents a scene of pleasing beauty. Constant communication with the island is maintained by means of a splendid service of steamboats calling at the piers at regular intervals. A tour round it is considered one of the favourite sea-trips of the summer time. Along the esplanade are many monoliths commemorating events on sea and land, and mounted on a granite base-is the original anchor of the Victory, now moored in Portsmouth harbour. An obelisk at the extreme end-formerly one of the boundary-marks of the borough-is said to contain the gibbet on which Felton, the assassin of the Duke of Buckingham, was hanged. Southsea Common, a large tract of land (the property of the military authorities) skirting the beach, besides serving the purpose of a recreation ground, is used for military parade. Since Edward IV. encamped on this spot in 1475 with 30,000 men, many scenes of martial glory and prowess have been displayed. The reviews, several of which are held during the year, provide Southsea with an attraction wanting in other watering-places.
Streets, Thoroughfares, &c.-The streets of the town, covering over 120 miles, present great diversity, those of the ancient part of the borough having a dismal and depressing appearance, whilst the newer portion is conspicuous for its wide thoroughfares, well-kept streets, and commodious residences. Passing through the heart of the town is Commercial Road, the centre of its business life and activity. The buildings are irregular, and in many respects unattractive. At 387 Charles Dickens was born on 15 Feb., 1812. At that time the neighbouring land was mostly under cultivation, whereas at the present day the house is situated in a thickly-populated district. Notwithstanding the growth of the neighbourhood, the house itself, unpretentious in appearance, remains unchanged. By a paragraph in his will, admirers of Dickens are precluded from raising any monument to his genius, and thus the only indication of his birthplace is a stone let into the pavement bearing his name and date of birth.
Situated in Commercial Road are the town railway station, town-hall, general post office, offices of the gas and water companies, &c. On three days of the week an agricultural market is held in the roadway, there being no large market-hall in the town. The continuation of the road at the northern end is known as London Road, the district around which is fast gaining favour as a residential quarter.
The streets of Portsea are mostly of early date, and are in great measure inhabited by the poorer classes. The chief thoroughfare, known as Queen Street, leading to the Dockyard and Common Hard, has been of far more importance in the past than at present. Lined on either side by business houses, &c.,its commercial activity was formerly second to none in the town, while to-day it is a centre of considerable importance. Portsmouth proper is worthy of note in consequence of the important part that the district has played in the early life of the town. Bounded at the extreme end by a remnant of one of the town walls, by which the garrison was formerly surrounded, the High Street is a broad roadway rich in historic associations. The George Hotel, "originally a thatched house of small size called the "Waggon and Lamb," gave hospitality to Nelson previous to his departure for Trafalgar, and a few years later sheltered beneath its roof the hero of Waterloo. In the graveyard adjoining the Unitarian chapel lies buried John Pounds, the founder of ragged schools, and in St Mary Street near by may be seen the house in which he lived and taught. Southsea, the most fashionable part of the town, is conspicuous for the cleanliness of its thoroughfares and the neat appearance of its houses. The people residing in this quarter are mainly of the well-to-do class, which in summer time is largely augmented by visitors from all parts. The two piers-the Clarence Esplanade and South Parade-are continual sources of attraction, the military bands, by rendering daily concerts, contributing towards their popularity.
Lighting.-The whole of the town's lighting was in the hands of the Portsea Island Gas Light Company, incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1821, up till 1894, when the corporation lighted the most important streets of the borough by electricity, at the same time providing light for private consumption. The water is supplied to the town by the Borough of Portsmouth Waterworks Company, established 1857, the works situated at Farlington, near Havant. The daily consumption averages 5,000,000 gallons, and according to Sir Robert Eawlinson " the waters are beyond the reach of contamination either now or in the future." To the purity of its water in a large measure may be attributed the high place Portsmouth occupies on the health list of the country.
Harbour, Dockyard, &c.-Portsmouth owes its importance entirely to its natural advantages as a naval port. Possessing the most extensive and land-locked harbour in the world, and situated near one of the finest roadsteads, the naval supremacy of the place must ever be its most prominent feature. At Spithead, not far distant from the mouth of the harbour, the whole of the English fleet might ride safely at anchor. Here have been gathered ships of many-nationalities-huge fleets having during recent years assembled-with our own in friendly conclave. Amid the attractions of Southsea as a watering-place, few prettier sights are seen than the illumination of these ships at night. This anchor-ground "takes its name from a sandbank which extends from the right side of the harbour running towards Southsea. Castle and ending in a point which is called the head of the Spit or Spithead." The Isle of Wight, acting as a natural breakwater, defends it from all winds blowing from the W to the SE, while the mainland of Hampshire protects it from the opposite quarter. After the foundering of the Roy at George in 1782 the wreckage remained for many years an impediment to maritime progress. The harbour, narrow at, the entrance-only 400 yards in width-has sufficient depth of water to allow the largest ship in the navy to enter afc any state of the tide. In the 18th century a huge iron chain (" a mighty chaine of yron"), capable of being tightly stretched across the harbour's mouth, was used to prevent the entry of any foreign vessel unawares. Here the past and present of England's " first line of defence" are brought vividly to one's mind. Having noticed the massive ironclads used for guarding our shores and colonies, the thoughts instinctively turn to the representatives of olden days lying here in well-earned retirement. What memories the name of the Victory conjures up to the minds of all loyal Englishmen! Immediately there returns the thought of that signal which has become as a watchword to our people-" England expects every man will do his duty." Aboard the ship visitors are shown the cock-pit in which the hero Nelson died, and on the 21 October of every year the memory of the event is revived by the spot being brightly decorated. Besides the Victory many other types of the "wooden walls of England" are seen, among which are the 8t Vincent, Duke of Wellington, &c. The 8t Vincent is used as a training ship for boys, and many are the lads from our workhouses who have been thus enabled to begin mounting the ladder of promotion in England's navy.
The world-famed dockyard is said to date from 1509, Henry VIII. founding it with a total area of 8 acres. Slow progress was made in extension after this small beginning, until the year 1864, when the whole extent consisted of 115 acres. In that year the "extension works"-ultimately costing about £2,500,000-were commenced, as a result of which 178 acres were added, leaving the dockyard at the present time with an area of 293 acres. Several times the yard has been threatened by fire. On 3 July, 1760, a part of it was struck by lightning, and on 17 July, 1770, a conflagration. occurred which caused incalculable damage. On 7 Dec., 1776, a fire broke out which was afterwards discovered to be the work of an incendiary. At first no suspicion was aroused, but some workmen engaged near the spot in the following January, discovering combustibles, &c., a man named Aitken, alias Jack the Painter, was arrested at Odiham. It appears that this vagabond, during early travels in America,. had fostered feelings of hatred towards England, and determined to put them to some purpose by firing the dockyards of Portsmouth and Plymouth with a view to undermining her naval supremacy. He laid his designs in the rope and hemp houses, and contrived certain rude machines whereby he would know the time at which the conflagration would occur. Intending to set fire to certain dwelling-houses at the same time, in order that the engines should not be concentrated at the dock, his purpose was ultimately foiled by reason of the matches with which he had provided himself not being sufficiently dry. Having fired the rope-house he fled to London, after causing damage to the amount of £149,000. Arrested and brought to Winchester for trial he-was condemned to death. On 10 March, 1777, he was conveyed to Portsmouth and was conducted round the scene of devastation caused by his rascality, the sight of which prompted him to admit his crime. The same day he was hanged from a gibbet erected in the dockyard, and his body, subsequently removed to Blockhouse Point at the mouth of the harbour, remained hung in chains for several years.
The principal entrance to the dockyard is through a large pair of gates on Common Hard, besides which are the Marlborough and Unicorn Gates. The yard is open for inspection by the public during certain hours each dav, when an official is deputed to give information concerning the various departments. Near the main entrance is the semaphore, used for transmitting messages to ships in harbour, from the top of which a splendid view of the Solent, Spithead, Por-chester, and the surrounding coast may be obtained, while at the same time the dockyard is spread out as a panorama before one's eyes. One of the most interesting features is the blockmaking mills, invented by Sir I. Brunei in 1801, which, although not so much used now as previously, have played an important part in shipbuilding of modern days.
There are fifteen dry docks, of which the largest, by means of a sliding caisson, can be used as a double dock, or can be converted into one of considerable length. Two others are at present in course of construction at an estimated cost of £300,000. Upwards of 1600 machines are to be seen, of which at least 1200 are in constant use, including capstans, cranes, &c., driven by air and hydraulic power. Electricity is as yet very little used as a means of transmitting power. The whole establishment gives employment to upwards of 6000 hands, and to this, together with the system of Government pensions, may be attributed the fact that in Portsmouth the same amount of abject poverty is not so apparent as in other towns of equal size. By regular employment, the artisan is practically certain of his weekly wage the whole year through, and, as a result of the thrift of this industrious class, innumerable dwellings are to be found in respectable streets of the town individually or partly owned by them.
The Gun Wharf, situated in Gnnwharf Road, is used as a repository for ordnance, smaller guns, &c. The workshops within have been, and are, used for the manufacture of the necessary accessories of war, while in the museum may be seen types of armour representing the personal defences of former days.
Fortifications, &c.-The fortifications of Portsmouth are perhaps the most extensive in the kingdom. The earliest record is an order or royal mandate of the thirteenth year of the reign of Edward III. " for enclosing with walls . . . our town of Portsmouth." The defences by sea consist of four circular fortresses, situated in the Solent, constructed of iron and granite. The foundation walls, built up from the bottom, 21 feet below the level of low tide, are 50 feet in thickness. On the land side are Southsea Castle, built by Henry VIII. in 1539, and reconstructed in 1814, the Portsmouth lines, consisting of earthworks from Southsea Common, bastions, &c., guarding the month of the harbour, while along the Gosport shore is a chain of fortifications 2 1/2 miles in extent. Situated on the outskirts of Gosport and Fareham, and on Portsdown Hill, are seen numerous forts protecting the town on the N, while Cumberland and Lump's forts guard it on the E. Portsbridge Canal, a creek inclosing the island on the N, is of various width, and extremely muddy at low water. With such a complete system of defence there is little wonder that Portsmouth harbour is looked upon as the safest retreat in the world. The principal barracks accommodating the various regiments quartered in the garrison are the Cambridge, Victoria, Anglesey, Cole-wort, Milldam, Hilsea, and Eastney, while at Gosport are Forton and the New Barracks. The most recent and imposing of these are the Victoria Barracks, built entirely by convict labour, and completed in 1886. Built in modern Gothic style, this magnificent block of buildings, with the officers' quarters adjacent, presents one of the most pleasing architectural sights in the district.
Public Buildings, &c.-Portsmouth, although not rich in works of architecture, boasts one of the finest town-halls in the kingdom. The foundation stone was laid on 14 Oct., 1886, and the opening ceremony performed by the Prince of Wales on 9 Aug., 1890. Built in Roman-Classic style, it stands in the centre of a large open space, on the northern side of which is the Victoria Park, on the southern the town fire station and the offices of the Portsea Island Gas Company, which, though dwarfed by their majestic neighbour, probably add to its grandeur by the contrast presented. It is conveniently situated near the town station-in fact is the first building meeting the eye of the visitor on his entry to the town-and being easily accessible from all parts, forms the centre of the civic life of the borough. The material used in the construction of the building is Portland stone, the freshness of which is still retained. Access is obtained from Commercial Road by means of a grand flight of granite steps, which form a graceful setting to the magnificent pile. Besides this entrance there are eight others on the ground floor leading to the public library, police department, municipal offices, &c. The great hall, rising out of the centre of the building to a height of 84 feet, is surrounded by a continuous corridor and accessible by six large doorways. The interior -the ceiling of which alone is a work of art-is capable of seating 2000 persons, besides which good platform and orchestra accommodation are also provided. The whole length is 106 feet, the width 71 feet, and the height 60 feet. On the other side of the corridor surrounding the great hall are found the various municipal offices, together with the Council Chamber, Grand Jury Room, &c. At the SE corner of the building is the Public Library and Reading-room-an institution opened in 1883 in a small building standing on the site at present occupied for the same purpose. The issue department consists of nearly 30,000 volumes, representing all classes of literature. Considering the short space of time since the adoption of the Free Libraries Act-under which a rate of one penny in the pound is levied-the growth of this branch of popular education is highly satisfactory. The Reference Library, unfortunately, has not advanced in like measure, as the volumes are by no means as numerous as those lent for home reading. The reading-room is separated from the library proper by a serpentine counter of polished walnut, the furniture throughout being of the same material; the whole presents a comfortable and neat appearance, although the atmospheric conditions are not all that may be desired. The whole building is crowned by a tower 210 feet high, in which is one of the largest clocks in the kingdom. The contract price for the building was £98,245, but before completion the actual cost had amounted to about £140,000.
The Guildhall, in the High Street, built in 1836, formerly serving the purposes of town-hall, is now utilized as the public museum, in which many relics of old Portsmouth may be seen, including the key-reclaimed from the mud in the harbour-used at the time of the Civil War for locking the gates of the garrison. Previous to 1836 a building situated in The middle of the roadway was used for municipal purposes, until by private subscription and public funds the newer structure was erected. When the old building was cleared away " the High Street presented a clear roadway for the first time since the reign of Henry VIII."
The Technical Institute, opened in 1894, and situated in Arundel Street (a street at right angles to Commercial Road), occupies the building formerly used as municipal offices, which has been entirely remodelled and all the available space occupied in order to meet the requirements of the town. Under the Customs and Excise Act, 1891, the corporation is in receipt of about £3000 per annum, the whole of which is devoted to educational purposes, and with this fund the institution is maintained. The school is provided with physical and chemical laboratories equipped with the most modern apparatus, drawing offices, lecture rooms, &c.
The Royal Sailors' Rest, facing Commercial Road, stands as a monument to the tireless and self-sacrificing energy of a noble woman-Miss Agnes Weston. The sailor far from home is here provided with the best possible substitute, and is largely protected from the many temptations incident to a naval and military town. To the E of the borough are situated those indispensable requirements of modern civilization-the Gaol, Workhouse, Asylum, and Infectious Diseases Hospital. Placed some distance from the populous part, these institutions enjoy pleasant surroundings, and fresh air at least is sure to the unfortunate inmates.
The most historic church in the town is situated in the High Street, and was erected between 1210-20 at the instigation of Peter de Rupibus, bishop of Winton. Founded within forty years of the murder of Thomas a Becket, it has ever since been known as the church of St Thomas. The body of the building was pulled down in 1690, but the chancel and transepts still form a part of the original structure. The tower, rising to the height of 120 feet, and above which is a weather-vane in the form of a full-rigged ship, together with the nave, was erected in 1698. The chancel belongs to nearly the earliest period of Pointed architecture. Built in the Italian style, the edifice exists as a link binding the present to the forgotten past. The bells, five of which were originally in an old Roman Pharos on Dover Heights, were brought to Portsmouth by Sir George Rooke and recast by order of Prince George of Denmark, consort of Queen Anne, who had them placed with three others-purchased at the expense of the parish-in the church tower. On these bells are found certain quaint inscriptions, the last of which reads-"We good people all to prayers do call; we honour to king and brides joy do bring; good tidings we tell and ring the dead's knell." Subsequently the clock and chimes were presented by one William Brandon, an alderman of the borough and "agent to the commissioners of the Royal Navy." On 21 Dec., 1703, the "listening townspeople were astonished ... by the euphonious bells resounding in long metre the' Old Hundredth Psalm' and the ' Sicilian Mariner's Hymn.'" Within the church is to be seen the monument erected to the memory of George Villiers, duke of Buckingham, and amongst its records the marriage entry of Charles II. preserved on vellum. Kingston Church, situated in the parish of Portsea, is the most modern and imposing of the ecclesiastical edifices. The present building, the foundation-stone of which was laid in 1887, was erected in accordance with the plans of Sir Arthur Bloomfield, and is capable of accommodating 2000 persons.
Geological Features.-Although so near to the Isle of Wight-that museum of rocks-Portsmouth, geologically speaking, presents little interest. It is composed chiefly of rocks of that portion of the Tertiary formation known as the Eocene. From Southsea to Portsdown Hill we have the surface more or less covered with gravel, below which in the following order crop out the Bracklesham beds. Lower Bagehot, London clay and Bognor beds. Mottled clay (with no fossils), and the chalk. In a boring of 147 feet, made some years ago in the Dockyard Extension Works, the lowest bed was found to consist of a stiff dark clay to the depth of 45 feet. At one level this contained fragments like chaff, probably remains of a fibrous shell of a Pinna. Above this came a second bed of stiff dark clay, containing Actaeon, Pleuro-toma, and Cyprima or Cytherea, while the highest part was made up of argillaceous sand. About 5 miles from the centre of the town, in a large chalk pit on Portsdown Hill, may be found a number of the following fossils:-Belemnites, Ech-inoids, Spondylus, Spinosse, and other bivalves, sharks' teeth, and occasionally crushed fish. On Portsdown, at a height of 300 feet, are the traces of an old sea-beach. At various times neolithic tools have been found, but. like the fossils of its beds, the remains of our pro-historic ancestors are among the very rare finds of the district.
LANDPORT, formerly called " Halfway House," is a modern district within the borough of Portsmouth, and is chiefly inhabited by artisans employed in the Royal Dockyard. It contains the joint terminus (known as Portsmouth Town Station) of the L.B. & S.C.R. andL. & S.W.R., and the Fralton Junction of the line to Southsea. All Saints ecclesiastical parish was formed in 1835 from the parish of Portsea. The church, built in 1827, was restored and a chancel added under the superintendence of the late Sir G. Gilbert Scott in 1877. The living is a perpetual curacy of the value of £200 per annum. There are also the churches of St Luke's, Marylebone; St Mark's; St Michael's; and All Angels; the Winchester College Mission Church; and Baptist, Congregational, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, and Roman Catholic chapels. The other chief buildings in Landport are the Eoyal Portsmouth, Portsea, and Gosport Hospital, a handsome building erected by public subscription, the Freemasons' Hall, Chamber of Commerce, and the Drill Hall, which latter can accommodate 11,000 persons.
GOSPORT, included within the parish of Alverstoke, is entirely dependent for its importance upon its close proximity to Portsmouth. At some points the harbour separating the towns is not more than three quarters of a mile in breadth. In early times the name is supposed to have been " God's Port," originated by Bishop Henry de Blois in 1158 by reason of the shelter afforded to King Stephen during a storm in 1144. The town was formerly incorporated with Portsmouth, but was excluded after the Revolution of 1688. It has always been styled " the ancient town and borough of Gosport," notwithstanding its non-possession of a charter of incorporation. Communication with Portsmouth is maintained by means of a floating bridge, founded in 1840, and steam launches, which since 1871 have plied between the two shores. The chief thoroughfare is High Street, leading from The Hard through the whole length of the town, and traversed by a tramway connecting the outlying districts of Forton, Brockhurst, &c.
Gosport has extensive coasting trade, and is famed for yacht and sail making. Its chief feature is the Royal Clarence Victualling Yard-the food depot of the Royal Navy. Here are capacious storehouses for all kinds of rations, including granaries capable of containing 6000 quarters of wheat, while other objects of interest are the biscuit bakery and steam corn-mills. The number of men victualled from the yard on ordinary occasions is about 10,000 per week, A private railway station is provided for Her Majesty, and situated on an island just beyond the yard is Priddy's Hard, a depot for the storage of ammunition and explosives for issue to the ships of the Royal Navy and to the troops in the garrison. Haslar Hospital, erected between 1746 and 1762 in the Queen Anne style of architecture, is one of the largest brick edifices in the kingdom, and provides accommodation for 2000 patients. This hospital, founded to meet the requirements of the navy, contains upwards of 120 wards, is four storeys high, and is nearly 600 feet in length. A bridge connects Haslar with Gosport, and is the property of a private company, the shareholders in which are compensated by means of a toll levied on persons passing to and fro. Situated in the High Street is the Thomgate Memorial Hall, erected in 1885 by the trustees under the will of the late William Thorngate, a merchant and philanthropist of the town. The building, which is erected in Flemish-Gothic style, presents a handsome exterior, and contains the offices of the local board, overseers and board of guardians, free public library and reading-room. The district is strongly fortified by Browndown battery. Forts Gomer, Rowner, Elson, Brockhnrst, Grange, &c., while Blockhouse fort serves as one of the important defences of Portsmouth Harbour. St Matthew's Church, dating from 1846, and the Congregational chapel, founded in 1663, are the most important places of worship in the vicinity. The L. & S.W.R. has a station in the town, and from Stokes Bay, not far distant, passengers may travel direct to the Isle of Wight.
