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Useful Links Also includes information for tickets to SeaBritain 2005 events in information about Guildhall tours. Roll Call. For genealogy buffs, The Roll of those who played a part in the Battle of Trafalgar. It contains the names of over 21,000 men on the musters of British ships on 21st October 1805.
Further a field Isle of Wight ferries have frequent sailings from Portsmouth Also leave from Portsmouth with regular sailings to St Malo, Cherbourg and Caen in France. Their flagship Pont-Aven is particularly comfortable and it’s worth having there and back trips just to sample the really excellent cuisine in the dining room.
Inland from Gunwharf Quays, near the University Campus, is the Guildhall and beyond the Cascades Shopping Centre and, finally, a little gem of a building where Charles Dickens was born. Now a museum (closed in winter) the couch on which he died, in interesting circumstances it is thought, is part of the authentic period furniture.
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| Revitalised dockyards seem unlikely contenders for interesting days away but visitors to the venue outlined below are in for a delightful surprise. It offers more than enough to keep everyone, from small children to grandparents, happy. Even the car can be kept under wraps for a day or two as most of the sights are easily reached on foot. PORTSMOUTH - SEA BRITAIN 2005 Not many people realise Portsmouth is an island connected to terra firma which allows for easy access, especially by rail and bus. Gone are the murky images once associated with thriving sea ports. Portsmouth has reinvented itself and now projects a cleaner, smarter image. A stunning waterfront where history and modernity merge, wide open spaces, bracing walks, an aquarium, museums and, of course, plenty of shops and restaurants all vie for attention. New hotels with leisure facilities are also a growth area and special deals are available at quieter times. If the thought of a dockyard for a day out holds little appeal think again! Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is packed with enough interest to occupy everyone for more than a day. This year is very special as it sees the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar on the 21st October. A year full of events connected with Britain’s maritime heritage has been launched under the Sea Britain 2005 umbrella. Lavish celebrations, Trafalgar 200, are planned by the Royal Navy starting with an International Fleet Review on 28th June. This is attracting all manner of ships from over 40 countries and the day will end with a stunning Son et Lumiere over the sea during which the Battle of Trafalgar will be re-enacted. No need to worry about jostling for position here as the extensive shoreline provides plenty of ringside seats. Two days later, the International Festival of the Sea heralds the start of a real hands-on feast. Entrance to the Historic Dockyard will be free and Tall ships plus a veritable armada of sea-going vessels will welcome landlubbers aboard. Those ashore will be swept into a nautical whirlwind of music, sea food and fun all of which will take place between 30th June and 3rd July. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The home of Nelson’s flagship ‘Victory’ - a majestic vessel fully restored to its former glory of which 90% is open to public view. To recapture life on board, especially during the Battle of Trafalgar, a visit to the Victory Gallery before setting foot on board the ship is a must. The Trafalgar Experience poignantly reproduces what it must have been like to be on the gun deck during the actual battle. Canon fire, the screams of wounded and dying sailors, complete with a bucket of sawn off limbs, then the tear jerking scene depicting Nelson’s death are realistically portrayed. A fitting finale is the magnificent and painstakingly researched painting ‘The Panorama of The Battle of Trafalgar’ painted in 1930 by W.L.Wyllie and his daughter Aileen. Laid out at its foot are models of the ships in battle formation which are used to explain Nelson’s winning strategy. The complex interior of a sailing ship unfolds on a tour of Victory. The more comfortable quarters of the officers contrasting sharply with the cramped living conditions the crew endured. A brass plaque marks the spot where Nelson was shot and the spot where he died, deep in the bowels of the ship, is a place for contemplation. He lived just long enough to learn that his fleet was victorious and his body was then transported back to England preserved in a barrel of brandy. Mary Rose. Be transported back in one gigantic leap to the time of King Henry VIII. The Mary Rose, launched in 1511, was one of the earliest warships built to carry heavy guns. Her sinking, during a skirmish in 1545, was possibly because these heavy guns had to be positioned close to the waterline. Explanations as to why the ship sank and the finds on display in the museum are a microcosm of how life was lived in the 16th century. Examples of almost everything needed to provision and sail a fighting ship, even the surgeon barbers wooden chest was recovered, intact with ointment and potion containers, and the only Tudor longbows and arrows ever found. A film illustrates the raising of the Mary Rose and the museum itself is much more than a ‘look but don’t touch’ exhibit. As with ‘Victory’, a visit to see the Mary Rose undergoing preservation is a must. This puts the finds in the museum into context with the actual size of the vessel, a concept not easily grasped if the museum alone is visited. HMS Warrior. When she was launched in December 1860, HMS Warrior was the world’s largest and fastest ship and marked the transition from sail to steam. What made her a cut above the rest was an iron hull, a steam engine and armour-plating although she still retained sails. Built in 18 months at the height of Victorian technological expertise, to counter a threat from Napoleon III, she instantly made all other warships obsolete and scuppered Napoleon’s warmongering plans. At the same time, shells were developed, to replace cannon balls which were ineffective against iron clad ships. HMS Warrior never saw battle but was the precursor of modern day battleships. Almost a hundred years of development separate ‘Victory’ and ‘Warrior’ and they make fascinating comparisons between the old and the emerging new. ‘Warrior’ can be hired for private and corporate events and weddings are a speciality. Check out the Historic Dockyard website for further information or tel: 023 9277 8604; e-mail: specialevents@hmswarrior.org Action Stations. Housed in a converted Victorian boathouse, Action Stations is more concerned with the 21st century. This is all about the modern Navy in action and a completely interactive experience. Enjoy the thrill of flying in a Harrier jump-jet or a hi-jacked helicopter plunging through a narrow gorge in a six-axis simulator pod. Try your hand at firing missiles, a climbing wall or just sit back and enjoy the thrill of an action film on one of the biggest screens in Britain. Plenty of hands-on experiences to keep everyone happy. The Enigma Machine. Tucked into the reception area of the 20th century Navy museum is one of the machines used by the Germans to encipher and decipher messages. The Enigma was developed by the Germans in 1918. It was later adopted by the German Navy and Army then the German Air Force. In May 1940, code breakers in England cracked the Luftwaffe cipher of the Enigma machine which meant their operational secrets could be read. An M4 Enigma was developed but the capture of a machine enabled the code breakers to again crack the code and alert the Admiralty as to the whereabouts of German U-boats in the Atlantic. This enabled British convoys to be alerted and directed away from U-boat locations. Take a 40min cruise around the Naval Base or ferry across to Gosport where there are two more naval themed museums to explore. ‘Explosion’ is the Museum of Naval Firepower and ‘Submarine World’ is the Royal Navy Submarine Museum. Historic and Modern-day Portsmouth. A short walk from the Historic Dockyard lies vibrant Gunwharf Quays. This new complex of shops and restaurants has injected new life into the waterfront. Portsmouth’s newest landmark, the Spinnaker Tower marks the spot. Seen from miles around and due to open in time for the SeaBritain celebrations, the white tower soars skywards and will provide a magnificent platform for views over the Naval Base and across to the Isle of Wight. The Millenium Walk leads from the Spinnaker Tower and along the coast. It stops just before reaching Clarence Pier at Southsea. A rope-patterned line carved into the pavement marks the route and is easily followed. Portsmouth Cathedral has suffered a chequered history. Named for Thomas Becket in 1185 it was excommunicated between 1449-1508 when the Bishop of Chichester was murdered in the parish. Charles II would have married Catherine of Braganza there in 1662 but the nave roof had collapsed. Instead they were married at the nearby, now ruined, Royal Garrison Church. A copy of their marriage certificate is displayed on the wall in the cathedral. As a point of interest, Catherine of Braganza arrived from Portugal and brought with her the very English penchant for afternoon tea and she never learnt to speak English. Blue Reef Aquarium and the D-Day Museum lie close together further along the coast near Southsea Castle. Still within walking distance of the centre, follow the Millenium Walk but stay ahead and continue following the coast where the walk heads back north. The walk is shown on the official map of Portsmouth so it’s easy to judge where to miss off the northern loop in the walk. Walking distance is around 1.5miles/2.4km from Gunwharf Quays in a direct line. |
Victory
Victory
Victory
Spinnaker Tower Portmouth's newest landmark
Guild hall
The house where Charles
Dickens was born, now a museum
HMS Warrior.
The very spot where
Lord Nelson died aboard Victory
View of HMS Warrrior from Spinnaker Tower |
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