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Description: | Portsmouth Harbour has a very long history of use as a major port. At the north of the Harbour is Portchester Castle, the western most of the Roman Saxon Shore forts built around the Second Century. The Second Century Roman geographer Ptolemy is thought to have referred to The Solent, or perhaps just Portsmouth Harbour, as "Magnus Portus" - Great Port.
Most dramatic of all is the view of the Harbour mouth, with its centuries old Round Tower on the Portsmouth side, matched by the Gosport sentinel of Fort Blockhouse. In time of the threat of war from France, 'a mighty chaine of Iron' was stretched across the Harbour mouth.
Portsmouth Harbour is the perfect sanctuary - it narrows to a mere 200 yards at its mouth. The Harbour is navigable at both high and low tides and it's several creeks have provided anchorage throughout history for a bewildering variety of craft.
1. Portsmouth University. 2003. The Portsmouth Harbour Project. Website.
2. Burton, Lesley. Musselwhite, Brian. 1987. Crossing the Harbour: the Portsmouth Harbour Story, p5.
Copy of an engraving created by Harris Brothers, London. | Format: | image/jpeg | License: | http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=gateway&f=generic_sitetext%2ehtm&_IXFIRST_=1&_IXMAXHITS_=1&cms_con_core_subtype%3acms_con_text_what=copyright&%3acms_sys_group=%22sopse%22 | Subjects: | Albert Pier building ship pier boat dock | Temporal: | start=1850-01-01; end=1870-12-31; | Source: | Sense of place SE | Creator: | Harris Brothers, London | Identifier: | http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | image/jpeg | Go to resource |
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