Portsmouth

Sister cities

• Zhuhai
• Haifa
• Caen
• Reggio Calabria
• Muscat
• Sydney
• Duisburg
• City of Sylhet
• Maizuru
• Portsmouth

History

The Romans built Portus Adurni (now called Portchester Castle), a fort, at nearby Portchester in the late 3rd century. The city's Old English (Anglo-Saxon) name, "Portesmuða", is derived from port (a haven) and muða (the mouth of a large river or estuary). In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a warrior named Port and his two sons killed a noble Briton in Portsmouth in 501. Winston Churchill, in A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, wrote that Port was a pirate who founded Portsmouth in 501. England's southern coast was vulnerable to Danish Viking invasions during the eighth and ninth centuries, and was conquered by Danish pirates in 787. In 838, during the reign of Æthelwulf, King of Wessex, a Danish fleet landed between Portsmouth and Southampton and plundered the region. Æthelwulf sent Wulfherd and the governor of Dorsetshire to confront the Danes at Portsmouth, where most of their ships were docked. Although the Danes were driven off, Wulfherd was killed. The Danes returned in 1001 and pillaged Portsmouth and the surrounding area, threatening the English with extinction. They were massacred by the English survivors the following year; rebuilding began, although the town experienced further attacks until 1066. Although Portsmouth was not mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book, Bocheland (Buckland), Copenore (Copnor), and Frodentone (Fratton) were. According to some sources, it was founded in 1180 by the Anglo-Norman merchant Jean de Gisors. King John reaffirmed RichardI's rights and privileges, and established a permanent naval base. The first docks were begun by William of Wrotham in 1212, In 1377, shortly after Edward died, the French landed in Portsmouth. Although the town was plundered and burnt, its inhabitants drove the French off to raid towns in the West…

Geography

Portsmouth is by road from central London, west of Brighton, and east of Southampton. It is located primarily on Portsea Island and is the United Kingdom's only island city, although the city has expanded to the mainland. Gosport is a town and borough to the west. Portsea Island, part of the Hampshire Basin, is low-lying; most of the island is less than above sea level. The island's highest natural elevation is the Kingston Cross road junction, at above ordinary spring tide. Old Portsmouth, the original town, is in the south-west part of the island and includes Portsmouth Point (nicknamed Spice Island). The main channel entering Portsmouth Harbour, west of the island, passes between Old Portsmouth and Gosport. South of Portsmouth are Spithead, the Solent, and the Isle of Wight. Its southern coast was fortified by the Round Tower, the Square Tower, Southsea Castle, Lumps Fort and Fort Cumberland. Four Palmerston Forts were built in the Solent: Spitbank Fort, St Helens Fort, Horse Sand Fort and No Man's Land Fort. The resort of Southsea is on the central southern shoreline of Portsea Island, and Eastney is east. Eastney Lake covered nearly in 1626. North of Eastney is the residential Milton and an area of reclaimed land known as Milton Common (formerly Milton Lake), Northern areas of the city include Stamshaw, Hilsea and Copnor, Cosham, Drayton, Farlington, Paulsgrove and Port Solent. Other districts include North End and Fratton. The west of the city contains council estates, such as Buckland, Landport, and Portsea, which replaced Victorian terraces destroyed by Second World War bombing. is in the city centre near the Guildhall and the Civic Offices. South of the Guildhall is Guildhall Walk, with a number of pubs and clubs. The city's other railway station,…

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  11,956
• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,185
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  10,894
• Herring Gull

  Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 · Aves
  9,787
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,107
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,103
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  8,224
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,703

Most recent

• M 3 — 2019-05-19
  7 km ESE of Swanage, United Kingdom
• M 3.3 — 2019-02-27
  3 km SE of Dorking, United Kingdom
• M 2.8 — 2018-07-05
  1 km S of Ewhurst, United Kingdom
• M 2.6 — 2018-06-27
  5 km W of Capel, United Kingdom
• M 2.7 — 2018-04-01
  4 km E of Holmwood, United Kingdom
• M 2.9 — 2015-01-27
  1 km ENE of Winchester, United Kingdom