PORTSMOUTH¹S GLORIOUS AGE OF SAIL

BY

CHRISTINE FAGG

Admiral Lord Nelson
Emma Hamilton's favourite portrait

Are you looking for a weekend break that is packed with items of riveting interest and not too far from home?  Then why not follow me to Portsmouth, home of the Royal Navy, boasting 800 years of Britain¹s great sailing history? This is the place where, among many other exhibits and museums, you can marvel at the remains of the Mary Rose, that magnificent warship built during Tudor times which sank here in 1545 and was raised in 1982.
 

HMS Victory and HMS Warrior

      The thing that makes this town exceptionally attractive is the magnificent Historic Dockyard which lies on the waterfront embracing the three greatest warships ever built. There is the Mary Rose built between 1509 and 1511 along with two other magnificently restored  warships -  HMS Victory completed in 1765 and HMS Warrior in 1860.  Around these three ships in this Dockyard lie a number of imposing historic storehouses dating from the 1700¹s.  They once contained iron, copper, nails, rigging, anchors, masts, ropes and other nautical items, but today several embody Britain¹s impressive naval history in the form of museums and exhibitions.  

An impression of The Mary Rose

     Most people head first to see the remains of The Mary Rose which is housed in a huge protective shelter where it is being preserved using the latest technologies.  This ship which had recently been engaged in skirmishes with the French fleet, sank in the Solent in 1545 with all hands lost.  At the time of this disaster, upper decks were packed with gunners, soldiers, archers and their equipment and large iron and bronze guns were in position ready to bombard the opposing French ships.   The ship remained untouched, partly submerged in mud which aided its preservation, until it was raised in 1982.   
      
     Millions of people watched the documentaries on television as, inch by inch, this ship was brought to the surface along with over a thousand items found upon it providing a virtual Tudor 'time capsule'.    Many of the items have been restored and are on show at the nearby Mary Rose Museum - pikes and guns, carpentry tools, barrels containing food rations and medical items belonging to the barber surgeon.  There were also many smaller items such as pewter flagons and tankards, pocket sundials, rosary beads and finely cut combs for removing head lice!  A continuously running film in the museum documents the details of this amazing rescue operation.   

HMS Victory at sea

HMS Victory

     A stone¹s throw away you can step aboard famous HMS Victory, Lord Nelson's flagship completed in 1765, which has been lovingly restored to its former glory.  In the early 1700¹s The Victory sailed into the Mediterranean and became involved in various successful skirmishes with the French Fleet.   On their way back to Britain off the Cape of Trafalgar, The Victory became involved in another battle with the Franco-Spanish Fleet.  

      Everybody knows that during this famous Battle of Trafalgar, Lord Nelson was mortally wounded by an enemy marksman and a plaque on Victory¹s quarter deck marks the spot where he fell.  Mercifully, he lived long enough to learn of Britain¹s triumph before dying on board four days later.  There is a moving tableaux of his last hours where he lay in his cabin with a bleeding wound, surrounded by his officers and the ship¹s surgeon.   What you may not know is, that Nelson¹s body was preserved in preparation for a hero¹s funeral during the voyage home to England, by placing it in a barrel of brandy.    
 

HMS Warrior

     The third warship on display, HMS Warrior dating from 1860  was, at that time, the world¹s first iron hulled armoured battleship and the largest, fastest and most heavily armed warship afloat.  It had an overall length of 418 ft, a 58 ft beam and its huge sails covered an area the size of two football pitches!  When the  24 ton propeller and huge anchors had to be raised, a large number of the 705 members of crew had to exert back-breaking efforts in order to raise them.  Ruptures were a common hazard and the medical stores contained no less than 200 trusses!  
 
     It is a great experience to walk round the four decks on this splendid ship climbing ladders, walking along gang ways and admiring the officers¹ pristine cabins and ward room.  Down below you can shudder at the seamen¹s quarters with their the rough wooden dining tables with hammocks above where they slept.  Everything was cooked in the nearby galley and on long voyages, fresh meat was supplied by keeping live sheep in pens on deck and cows in a manger in the forward bulkhead.    

Number 8 Boathouse, built in 1848,
now houses the dynamic museum
Action Stations

      In this Dockyard you can also visit The Royal Naval Museum, housed in one of the old Storerooms.  It provides a comprehensive portrait of Britain¹s naval history including a splendid re-enactment of The Trafalgar Experience.  Nearby, The Apprentices Museum displays skills and crafts once used when building these battleships and there¹s also a dynamic new attraction - Action Stations.  Here, you can get a real sense of the excitement and danger of the Navy in action today.  It contains a variety of simulators one of them offering visitors the excitement of flying a Harrier Jump Jet.  Sitting in the pilot¹s seat before a wide screen I took off from the deck of HMS Monarch and soared up into the sky.  Believe it or not, I brought this plane to a safe landing with the aid of a joy stick,  steering wheel and a bank of controls!
 
     Before leaving this great waterfront city with its twelve museums, do find time to visit Portsmouth¹s latest attraction - The Spinnaker Tower -  opening in the spring.   It comprises a glass panoramic lift which transports visitors from the 'sea to sky' rising to a dizzy height of 110 metres. where you can step out on a platform and gasp at stunning views of the sea, the city and port and surrounding countryside.   

      If heights are not your thing, take a stroll along Portsmouth¹s splendid four mile waterfront with its spectacular gardens and award winning floral displays.   Along the way numerous interpretation panels offer fascinating glimpses into Portsmouth¹s 800 years of nautical history.  You will also pass   Southsea Castle where King Henry V111 once stood watching in horror as his favourite warship, The Mary Rose, sank without trace.  And when hunger strikes, head for Gunwharf Quays, the City¹s new waterfront development with its 90 shopping outlets and 20 bars, including the Tiger Tiger Bar and  'Ha Ha Bar¹.  You can sit on the terrace and admire harbour views while consuming mouthwatering, reasonably priced seafood dishes.     
 
     Harbour Tours offers regular boat trips available from the Historic Dockyard to see modern naval warships, aircraft carriers, tankers, store ships, frigates and other ships that maybe in port.  It is also possible to sail from Portsmouth Harbour across to Hayling Island, Gosport, The Channel Islands, The Isle of Wight and to ports on the North Coast of France.  I boarded Brittany Ferries for St Malo where I spent a further two nights - a  delightful experience that I will cover in a later article.  
   

FURTHER INFORMATION