UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

England

Region: South East England

Unitary Authority: Portsmouth – Ceremonial County: Hampshire

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• lv: Portsmuta • lt: Portsmutas
• el: Πόρτσμουθ
• be, mk, ru, sr, uk: Портсмут • bg: Портсмът

Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in England not located primarily on the mainland. The city is located 26 km south-east of Southampton, 67 km west of Brighton and 102 km south-west of London. The city and unitary authority area has a population of about 215,100 (2021), the metropolitan area (South Hampshire) has a population of about 855,700 (2011).

Although there were settlements in the area in pre-Roman times, Portsmouth is generally believed to have been founded in 1180. In 1194, Portsmouth received its city charter from King Richard I. At the end of the 15th century, King Henry VII established Portsmouth as a Royal Dockyard and built the first European dry dock since antiquity. The harbor developed into the most important naval base of the Royal Navy. With industrialization, numerous heavy industry companies established themselves in the city. During the World War II, munitions and warships were manufactured in Portsmouth. Due to its strategically important location, the city was repeatedly targeted by German bombers, resulting in the destruction of large parts of the historic old town. On the night of 5–6 June 1944, the Normandy landings began from Portsmouth. After the war, only small parts of the city around the harbor were rebuilt in their historical style. The current cityscape is dominated by modern buildings from the 1980s. The harbor continues to play a major role for the city. Portsmouth is England's second most important ferry port after Dover.

Portsmouth Guildhall [left, no. 5034] was originally commissioned as town hall to replace an earlier town hall that was located in High Street. The site selected for the new building had been occupied by the home of the Commanding Officer of Artillery. The builting, designed by William Hill, was constructed in 1886–1890. The design is a slightly more elaborate version of his 1873-completed commission for Bolton Town Hall. After Portsmouth was raised to the status of a city in 1926, the building, which had previously been referred to as the "Town Hall", was renamed the "Guildhall". In 1941, during World War II, the building was hit by incendiary bombs, which completely destroyed the interior and roof, and just the outer walls and tower remained standing. The Guildhall was entirely rebuilt in 1955–1959 to the designs of Ernest Berry Webber. Today, the Guildhall now operates as a concert, wedding and conference venue. It has been managed by the Guildhall Trust (formerly the Portsmouth Cultural Trust) since 2011.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth_Guildhall]