Interesting Facts

For much of Britain's history, Portsmouth has been home to the Royal Navy. The city has served as a major naval base since the twelfth century. In recent years, the South Atlantic Task Force was prepared here for the war fought in the Falkland Islands.
After German bombers leveled about nine-tenths of the city during World War II, the seaport was rebuilt, and today the city aggressively promotes its military attractions. World War II buffs and people interested in the nautical history of England find Portsmouth a very interesting place to visit. Therefore, one of the main attractions of the area is the Historic Dockyard. Three famous warships, Victory, Mary Rose and Warrior, are docked here.
Southsea lies close to Portsmouth. This Edwardian coastal resort, with its fine sands, lush gardens and vacation attractions, is also the home to the D-Day Museum, which commemorates the Allied Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Portsmouth is the hometown of Charles Dickens. The writer was born here in 1812. The house in which he was born is located on Commercial Road and is now a three-room museum. The only genuine piece of Dickens' furniture in the house is the couch on which he died in 1870.
Portsmouth occupies the bulb shaped peninsula of Portsea Island. It was here that the Romans raised a fortress on the northernmost edge of the inlet. During the Roman era, a small port developed. However, it wasn't until Tudor times that Henry VII established the world's first dry dock.
Portchester Castle lies just six miles from Portsmouth. It is the city's most outstanding monument. This Roman fort has walls over twenty feet high and incorporates some twenty bastions. It is the finest Roman example of its kind in northern Europe.
The Victory, one of the ships resting at Portsmouth dry dock, carried the body of Admiral Nelson back to the city after a French sniper shot him. The admiral died only three hours after the bullet pierced his body. Those that died at sea were typically sewn into their hammock with a cannon ball and thrown overboard. The admiral did not want to be buried at sea; therefore, his body was preserved in a vat of brandy until he could be buried in St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
Many phrases used in our English language today derive from the seafaring heritage of England. For instance, "three square meals a day," comes from the fact that sailors aboard the Victory were served a trio of daily meals on square wooden plates. And ... if you've ever wondered where the nickname "Limey" came from, it derives from the casks of lime juice that were carried for sailors to drink in order to prevent scurvy.
Portsmouth is not a particularly attractive place, largely due to the bombing during World War II. However, Old Portsmouth has some interesting spots, especially around the Camber. It was here that Walter Raleigh landed the first potatoes and tobacco from the New World
The Mary Rose was the flagship of the fleet of King Henry VIII. Unfortunately, the ship sank in the Solent Channel in 1545 while the king watched. In 1982, Prince Charles watched as the Mary Rose was exhumed after more than 400 years on the ocean floor. The hull and more than 20,000 items were recovered by divers in what has become known as one of England's major archaeological discoveries.