Welcome to Portsmouth - The Great Waterfront City

Portsmouth Historic Ships

Portsmouth's historic ship collection is one of the most renowned in the world, centered around the city's rich naval heritage. At the heart of this collection is the HMS Victory, the famous flagship of Admiral Lord Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar. Visitors can explore its decks and learn about its storied past. The Mary Rose, a Tudor warship raised from the Solent after over 400 years underwater, offers a fascinating glimpse into 16th-century naval life. HMS Warrior 1860, once the largest and most powerful warship of its time, showcases Victorian naval engineering. Together, these ships offer a compelling journey through Britain’s maritime history.

Portsmouth Attractions

Portsmouth offers a wide range of attractions beyond its historic ships. The Spinnaker Tower is a must see landmark, offering panoramic views of the city, the Solent, and the Isle of Wight. For art enthusiasts, the City Museum and Art Gallery showcases local history, art, and the city’s connection to author Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. Southsea Castle, built by Henry VIII, provides a fascinating historical site with beautiful views along the coast. Gunwharf Quays is a popular waterfront destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment, while the D-Day Story Museum highlights the city's role in the pivotal World War II operation. Additionally, the vibrant Southsea Seafront offers relaxing beaches, the Blue Reef Aquarium, and Clarence Pier for family fun.

Portsmouth Port

As well as being the home of the Royal Navy and ships such as aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, Portsmouth is a thriving commercial port. Just to the north of Portsmouth Dockyard, Portsmouth International Port serves commercial ferry services, cruise ships and international deep water cargo vessels. Albert Johnson Quay is 285 metres long with a depth of 7.3 metres and Flathouse quay is 190 metres long with a depth of 8.3 metres. Portsmouth International Port is a major destination for fresh fruit. 70% of all the bananas eaten in the UK arrive at Portsmouth.

Portsmouth is a well connected port, Portsmouth International Port is one of the busiest ferry ports in the UK carrying around 2.2 million passengers a year, with regular services to France, Spain and the Channel Islands. Closer to home there are ferry and hovercraft connections to the Isle of Wight as well as cross harbour ferries to our neighbour Gosport. The port is rightly proud of it's use of alternative energy, utilising roof mounted panels, solar canopies and battery storage, the port generates approximately 400kWp (2022) of clean electricity. By January 2023 this will have increased to a 1.2 megawatt peak system which should provide around 98% of the port's power requirement.

Portsmouth Entertainment

The city of Portsmouth is lucky to have not one but two Frank Matcham designed theatres, the Kings Theatre in Southsea and the New Theatre Royal in Guildhall Walk, which have both been restored and are open for business hosting theatrical and musical entertainment. Portsmouth Guildhall and the Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea also host a wide variety of concerts and cultural events.

The city has two independent film cinemas, No6 Cinema located inside the Historic Dockyard and Southsea Cinema at Palmerston Road. There is a also a multiscreen Vue cinema at Gunwharf Quays and a second multiscreen Odeon cinema at Port Solent. Portsmouth also has a thriving pub and restaurant culture serving food from around the world.

Historic Portsmouth

King Richard (1157 - 1199) sailed from Portsmouth on his way to the Crusades, and it was he who granted the town it's earliest known charter in 1194, in 1984 Portsmouth celebrated it's 800th anniversary. It was during Richard's reign that the Star and Crescent first appeared on the town arms, the title of Mayor of the town also appears at this time. An earlier charter is thought to have been granted by Henry I, but all trace of it's existence has disappeared. King Richard's charter gave Portsmouth the right to hold a fair once a year, a weekly market and exemption from various tolls.
You can read more about the History of Portsmouth here.

Popular Portsmouth

Portsmouth with it's wealth of cultural attractions and maritime history is becoming increasingly popular with both domestic and international visitors, as can be seen in the various polls listed below.

• Portsmouth 2nd - The 10 British Cities with the best rated cultural attractions in 2022.
• Portsmouth 2nd - Nomads Nation - 10 Coolest Places to Live in the UK.
• Portsmouth 10th - Which? Best City Breaks in the UK 2022.
• Portsmouth 12th - YouGov poll of most popular cities.
• Portsmouth is recognised in the Tree Cities of the World programme which provides a framework for a healthy, sustainable urban forestry programme in towns or cities around the world.