27th January 2015
Added the 400th biography to 'Lives Lived and Lives Lost - Portsmouth and the Great War'
29th October 2014
Added an article on Madame Walker - Founder of the Victoria Academy (1882 to 1977)
28th October 2014
Added the 300th biography to 'Lives Lived and Lives Lost - Portsmouth and the Great War'
17th September 2014
Added articles on James Pafford - Veteran of Trafalgar to the People section, and Brave Women of Portsmouth (1916) to the Events section.
17th August 2014
Added 1873 to the List of Burgesses.
24th May 2014
Added the 200th biography to 'Lives Lived and Lives Lost'
1st May 2014
Extended the List of Burgesses to 1872 taking account of the missing lists from 1870 and 1871.
14th March 2014
Added an article to the Events Section on the Bombing of the Bishop's House in January 1941.
23rd February 2014
Launched a new section in commemoration of those who lost their lives in the Great War. Entitled 'Lives Lived and Lives Lost' - Portsmouth and the Great War. This looks at the lives of the lost in the context of their family backgrounds as well as their service careers. It is hoped that the section will eventually contain 1000 short biographies, but it is launched with just the first 100. The rest will continue to be added until the 100th anniversary of the end of the war.
17th February 2014
Extended the List of Burgesses to 1869. This has had to take account of the fact that the lists for 1868 are missing.
29th January 2014
Added two articles by contributor Ed Jones, one on the South of England Music Hall and one on the Music Hall Artiste "Persivani".
8th December 2013
Revised the lists of Members of the Borough Council between 1835 and 1880 such that they now show all councillors and not just those winning elections.
6th December 2013
Extended the List of Burgesses to 1867. This has had to take account of the fact that the lists for 1866 are missing.
12th November 2013
Included an article on Charles Moorshead - 'Grand Old Man of Portsmouth Politics'
7th October 2013
Included an article on Flying Bull Lane which formerly existed south of Kingston Crescent and gave it's name to various schools.
11th September 2013
Extended the List of Burgesses to 1864
22nd August 2013
Included an extended list of links to articles on Old Portmuthians (former pupils of Portsmouth Grammar School).
2nd August 2013
Added articles on The East Hants Cricket Ground and the East Hants Cricket Team v The Australian Aboriginal Team to the Places and Events sections respectively.
31st July 2013
Added a list of The Rectors and Patrons at Farlington Church (St. Andrews) to the People Section
16th July 2013
Added an article entitled Naval Sword Cutlers in Portsmouth which is derived from The Naval Officers Sword by Captain Henry Bosanquet.
2nd July 2013
Added an article on St. Adjutor's Church, Vernon Shore Establishment
13th June 2013
Added another article from the Friends of Old Portsmouth Association Newsletter to the existing article on the Widening of Golden Lion Lane
12th June 2013
Re-published three more articles, originally written for the Friends of Old Portsmouth Association Newsletter, on
No. 60 High Street
No. 4 Broad Street
No. 24 Warblington Street
6th June 2013
Added an article, originally written for the Friends of Old Portsmouth Association Newsletter, by Keith Feltham on the Gunwharf Gate area
30th May 2013
Created an article based on a school scrapbook entitled 'A Walk in Old Portsmouth' dated 1934
11th May 2013
Added an article which concludes the series based on Milton and which tells the story of the early days of the village.
8th May 2013
Added the years 1857-1860 to the List of Burgesses (Electors).
29th April 2013
Added a page of photographs under the heading Images of Milton
11th April 2013
Added an article on Herbert Allen (1770-1850) to the People section.
3rd April 2013
Added an article on The Churches of Milton.
28th March 2013
Added articles on The loss of the Royal George, the Vicars of St. James's Church, Milton and Sir Philip Henderson Durham
8th March 2013
Added the years 1853-1856 to the List of Burgesses (Electors).
5th March 2013
Added another article, supplementing the Wish Road piece, providing a brief history of Dock Mill and the Dock Mill Brewery
1st March 2013
Followed up the article on Wish Road with a supplementary piece describing the journey from Lumps Lane to Milton and back.
25th February 2013
Published an article on the Albert Road, Southsea of the 1840s, when it was described on one important map as Wish Road.
14th February 2013
Added an article on Horsea Island to the Places section.
1st February 2013
Building on much of the recent research into Cherry Garden Field, the Electors' Lists and the Tithe Map of 1845, the history of just one road has been plotted. Albert Street, Landport existed for about 50 years and so makes an ideal subject for an article.
24th January 2013
Added the years 1849-1852 to the List of Burgesses (Electors).
13th January 2013
Included an article which sets out the events that led to St. Thomas's Church being adopted as the new Anglican cathedral rather than St. Mary's Church which was the older by 10 years.
26th December 2012
Added articles on Cherry Garden Field and St. Paul's Church in Southsea to the Places section.
10th December 2012
Added the years 1845-1848 to the List of Burgesses (Electors).
9th December 2012
Added an article on William Henry Barrell (Printer, 1858-1922) and family.
13th November 2012
Added the first section of what will become one of the largest projects on this site, namely the transcription of the Lists of Burgesses (Electors) from 1835 onwards or shortly after the passing of the Reform Act. The transcriptions will be added over the next year or two as they are completed but the first few from 1835 to 1844 are now available here. In addition, there is ongoing research into the creation of the lists.
5th October 2012
Added an article 'James Seagrove (1784-1822) - Another Portsea son in Nelson's navy' written by John Seagrove
16th September 2012
Added a list of The Churchwardens of St. Thomas's Church, Portsmouth (1778 - 1886)
29th August 2012
Added an article on Captain John Mason to the People Section.
14th August 2012
Added an article on the early telephone service in Portsmouth to the Events Section.
7th August 2012
Added an article by Keith Feltham on 'Memories of Old Portsmouth' to the People Section.
2nd August 2012
Added an article by Keith Feltham on 'Boatbuilding at Point' to the Events section.
31st July 2012
Added article on Sir John Kempthorne (1620-1679).
26th July 2012
Added article on The Meredith Family (1673-1909) which includes George Meredith, Victorian novelist
18th June 2012
Added articles on Sir Josiah Child and The Speedwell Hotel
5th June 2012
Added two articles, one on The Supply of Water to the Borough of Portsmouth (1741-1860) and the other on Government Buildings in Portsmouth in 1851
25th May 2012
Added article on The Murder of Bishop Adam Moleyns (1450)
23rd May 2012
Added articles on Jonas Hanway and HMS Warrior
18th April 2012
Added an article on The Greetham Family of Portsmouth to the People section.
7th April 2012
Added articles on The Stanyford Family and Freemasonry in Portsmouth.
9th March 2012
Added an article on Neville Lovett, First Anglican Bishop of Portsmouth to the People Section
16th February 2012
For followers of the 1860 Old Portsmouth Project a page has been added on the fortifications at the north end of High Street.
22nd January 2012
Added articles on Freemasonry in Portsmouth and The Origins of Gatcombe Manor to the Events and Places sections respectively.
10th January 2012
Added a page on Nos 145-150 High Street to the 1860 Project. This completes the first part of the project which involved modelling all of the buildings on High Street. Work will now begin on reviewing the work done so far both in terms of the research done and the accuracy of the models. Also in mind is an extension of the gallery to show the street more realistically. Any hopes of being able to animate a trip down High Street is reluctantly abandoned for the time being as the models are far too complicated for one PC to cope with. Progress reports will be issued from time to time.
7th December 2011
Added a page on Nos. 140-144 High Street to the Old Portsmouth Project.
30th October 2011
Added a page on Nos. 133-139 High Street to the Old Portsmouth Project.
23rd October 2011
Added an article on the origins of Gunwharf and HMS Vernon and how they came together to be known as the Vernon Shore Establishment.
28th September 2011
Local amateur historian Norman Gordon has given permission for the History in Portsmouth website to publish his research. The first section placed online consists of Political Biographies of the Mayors of Portsmouth from 1836 to 1900. Further research into the adoption of the Public Health Act 1848 will follow in due course.
11th September 2011
Added a biography of Sir Francis Baring, MP for Portsmouth (1826-1865) to the People Section.
18th August 2011
Added biographies of Canon Bill Sargent (1926-1989, which includes the foundation of Portsmouth Housing Association), The Hon. Sir George Grey (1767-1828, which includes the loss of HMS Boyne) and Lt. George Williamson (1893-1937) to the People Section.
21st July 2011
Added a page on Nos. 130-132 High Street to the Old Portsmouth Project.
8th June 2011
Added an article on Portsmouth Football Club - The First Match to the Events Section
13th May 2011
Added biographies of Digby Dent, Hotel Keeper (1805-1888) and Colonel Nathaniel Whetham (1604-1668), Governor of Portsmouth, to the People section.
2nd May 2011
Added a short biography of the photographer John Symonds (1825-1871), including an account of his strange suicide, to the People section.
29th April 2011
Added a page on Nos. 127-129 High Street to the Old Portsmouth Project section.
8th April 2011
Updated the pages on the Old Portsmouth Project for Nos. 32-33 High Street, Nos. 34-36 High Street and Nos. 37-38 High Street
2nd April 2011
Added pages on John Pounds, the inspiration behind the Ragged Schools and one of his biographers John Sturges, Unitarian Minister, to the People section.
27th March 2011
Added a page on No. 126 High Street and the Unitarian Chapel to the Old Portsmouth Project. In addition a list of ministers at the church is published under the People section together with biographies of two of them, Benjamin Burgess and Henry Hawkes.
22nd March 2011
Added an article on Ann Amelia Richman & Family (1773-1934) to the People section.
19th March 2011
Added an article on 'The Loss of HMS Hero (1811)' to the Events Section
7th March 2011
Added a biography of William Hempson Denham to the People Section
14th February 2011
History In Portsmouth has been granted the right to publish an edited version of the Music Archive created by Mick Cooper and Dave Allen. This impressive piece of research covers the whole panorama of music in Portsmouth from 1944 to 1969. It can be accessed at the Cooper-Allen Music Archive.
7th February 2011
Added the personal story of Eliza Ann Smith (1840-1906) to the People Section.
5th February 2011
Updated the pages on the Old Portsmouth Project for The Guildhall, The Dolphin Hotel and Nos. 39-40 High Street
27th January 2011
Added a page on Nos. 120-125 High Street to the Old Portsmouth Model
18th January 2011
Added a chapter of "Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland" (1891) by Alfred Barnard in which the author describes his visit to the Pike Spicer brewery, together with some notes on the history of Portsmouth
3rd January 2011
Added a report from the Hampshire Telegraph on the fire at the Pike Spicer brewery in January 1864
21st December 2010
Added a page on Nos 115-119 High Street to the Old Portsmouth model.
15th December 2010
Added an article on "The Fathers of the Dockyard" - Colonel William Willoughby, Captain Robert Moulton and Captain Francis Willoughby.
10th December 2010
Added an article on Sir Bernard de Gomme, Military Engineer to the Stuart Kings.
23rd November 2010
Added a page on Nos 112-114 High Street to the Old Portsmouth model.
1st November 2010
The page on Nos 44-45 High Street on the Old Portsmouth project has been re-written and the the model adjusted.
31st October 2010
The page on Nos 46-48 High Street on the Old Portsmouth project has been re-written and the the model adjusted following the emergence of new evidence.
22nd October 2010
The page on No 49 High Street on the Old Portsmouth project has been re-written and the the model adjusted.
14th October 2010
Added a page on the Governor's House, High Street to the 1860 Old Portsmouth Model.
30th September 2010
Added collection of photos of the Army Chaplains in Portsmouth (1860-1967) to the People Section.
27th September 2010
Added a page on Nos. 109-111 High Street to the 1860 Old Portsmouth model.
23rd September 2010
Time Team at Governor's Green is scheduled for broadcast by Channel 4 at 5.25pm on 24th October 2010.
10th September 2010
Added an article on the James Watson Gieve, Tailor to the People section
9th September 2010
The page on Nos 50-52 High Street on the Old Portsmouth project has been re-written and the the model adjusted.
7th September 2010
The 1860 model had it's first airing on TV during a programme on how the Blitz had affected Portsmouth. The reporter Richard Jones was seen stepping out of the doorway to the George Hotel. It looked good.
5th September 2010
Added an article on the Rev. Thomas Timmins to the People section
2nd September 2010
Following the emergence of fresh evidence the page on Nos 53-54 High Street on the Old Portsmouth project has been re-written and the the model adjusted.
27th August 2010
After a short summer break, added a page on Nos. 106-108 High Street to the 1860 Old Portsmouth model.
23rd July 2010
The pages on 55-56 and 57-58 High Street in the Old Portsmouth model section have been re-written to incorporate further documentary evidence and tidy up the presentation.
16th July 2010
Two new sections have been added to the Old Portsmouth Project. The first is an explanation of the documentary sources used to guide the construction of the model and the second a gallery of complete images from the area to the south of High Street with all visible buildings in place.
15th July 2010
Added an article on Hilsea Barracks to the Places section
7th July 2010
Added a page on Nos. 103-105 High Street to the 1860 Old Portsmouth model.
15th June 2010
Added two more pages to the People section, both on members of the Catholic community. The first is on Dr. John Vertue, First Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth, and the second, Canon John Horan who was instrumental in the building of St. John's Cathedral.
8th June 2010
Added a brief biography of Sir Richard Rooth to the People section on the site.
3rd June 2010
Added a page on Nos. 98-102 High Street to the Old Portsmouth model.
18th April 2010
Revised and uploaded Old Portsmouth model pages on Nos. 59 and 60 High Street and Nos 61-64 High Street.
13th April 2010
Added a page on Nos. 94-97 High Street to the Old Portsmouth model. Also added an interesting reference to the page on the Portsmouth Coat of Arms.
7th March 2010
Uploaded revised pages for both the North Side of Grand Parade and the South Side. Both now include documentary evidence from the Directories and the 1861 Census.
6th March 2010
Added Nos. 89-93 High Street to the Old Portsmouth model
4th February 2010
The model moves further north with the addition of a page on Nos. 87 and 88 High Street. The former was the Post Office which was housed in perhaps the most elegant building on the street.
18th January 2010
Withdrawal symptoms have kicked in. The re-structuring of the original model is far from complete but there is a compulsion to push on with the new models. As a result a page on Nos. 84-86 High Street has been added to the model. A new feature in the model images has arisen by the discovery that despite all previous images displaying High Street as having a cobbled surface, in fact this was not introduced as early as 1860. Instead the streets will now be shown with a gravel/mud sort of surface which would probably have been pock-marked with water-filled holes but which at this stage in the life of the model is flat.
Previous site developments (2008-2009)
Tim Backhouse
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