PORTSMOUTH, portemilth, England, the principal naval station of Great Britain, a sea port and municipal and parliamentary borough, in Hampshire, on the southwest extremity of Portsea, 68 miles southwest of London by rail.
The island of Portsea is bounded on the east by Langston Harbor, on the west by Portsmouth Harbor, and on the south by the roadstead or channel of Spithead, across which is the Isle of Wight; it is separated from the mainland by a narrow creek called Portbridge Canal. It consists of the four districts, Portsmouth proper, Portsea, Landport and Southsea, these being now more extensive than the towns to which they belong. The towns, united so as to form a fortress, are protected by one of the most extensive modern systems of fortifications, which have replaced the former moats, walls, and ramparts, entered by four gates, one of them designed by Inigo Jones. Landport and Kingston are adjacent to Portsea on the north, and Southsea, on the east side of the town of Portsmouth. The two first-named districts are for the most part occupied by artisans connected with the royal naval dockyard in Portsea. A fine park, the Victoria, is in a conveniently central situation. Southsea is one of the favorite English seaside resorts. Its situation commands fine views of the anchorage at Spit head, and of the Isle of Wight. Southsea com mon, which extends down to the beach, forms a fine public recreation ground, and on it troops from the neighboring garrisons are often assembled for field days and reviews. South sea Castle with its adjacent earthworks, the batteries of the Gosport side, and the circular forts in the roadstead, command the entrance to Portsmouth Harbor. The town of Gosport on the opposite side of the harbor entrance is connected with Portsmouth by a floating bridge ferry.
The best street in Portsmouth is the High street, which divides the town into two nearly equal parts and contains the principal shops, hotels and places of business. The prominent public buildings include Government House, the splendid new town hall opened in 1890,•the post office, the grammar school, Athenaeum, Theatre, hospital, Sailors' Home, Central Rail way station, the parish church (Saint Thomas a Becket's), built about 1170, the Roman Catho lic cathedral with schools adjacent, the Presby terian Church, the Independent Chapel in King street, and numerous other places of worship.
The royal dockyard, which has been ex tended by the addition of new docks and basins, covers an area of about 500 acres. It is enclosed by a wall 14 feet high, and entered by a lofty gateway. It includes vast store houses, machine-shops, extensive slips and docks, ranges of handsome residences for the port-admiral and other officials, etc. Outside the dockyard an area of 14 acres contains the gunwharf, where vast numbers of guns and other ordnance stores arc kept; and there is an armory with 25,000 stand of small arms.
Portsmouth has no important manufactures except those connected with its naval establish ments, and a few large breweries. Its trade, both coasting and foreign, is of considerable extent; the former consisting chiefly of coals from the Welsh and Newcastle coal fields, cattle and sheep from the Isle of Wight and the west of England, and large quantities of corn and provisions from Ireland; and the latter of wine from different parts of the Continent, eggs from France, and timber from the Baltic.
Portsmouth is mentioned in the Saxon Chronicle as existing in 501. It appears to have taken the place of Porchester, which as Port us Magnus had been selected by the Romans for a naval station, but became unfit for that purpose in consequence of the silting of the harbor. During the reign of Alfred a fleet of nine ships fitted at the port defeated the Danes, who had long infested the coast; and immediately before the Conquest a large fleet was fitted out here to intercept the Norman armament. About 1256 Henry III assembled an army here for the in vasion of France. In 1377 Portsmouth was at tacked by the French, who succeeded in burn ing a part of the town. This disaster appears to have shown the necessity of fortifying the place, and the works, commenced by Edward IV, were much improved and extended during succeeding reigns. The town was taken by the Parliamentarians in 1642. The Royal George battleship in 1792 heeled over and sank in Portsmouth Harbor, drowning nearly 1,000 per sons. Pop. about 231,141.