FIND DIVERSITY IN THE PORT CITY OF PORTSMOUTH #VisitSouthsea Seaside fun for all the family The UK’s only island city boasts a magnificent promenade running from Eastney to Old Portsmouth. Along the length of the beach are a plethora of attractions for all ages – many evoke memories of traditional seaside holidays of the past with swan-shaped pedalos on Canoe Lake and the nearby pitch and putt. The Tenth Hole, a popular café, sitting alongside the course, is well known for its eye-poppingly large cakes and is a great place for breakfast too. Southsea Castle is the place where Henry VIII watched the Mary Rose sink. Now it’s a great place to visit and the kids will have hours of fun exploring the passages below ground. Pack a picnic and enjoy great music at the Band Stand weekly throughout the summer, a party atmosphere and one of the best backdrops in the world. There is a fascinating walk from Clarence Pier to Old Portsmouth. You can follow the route along the raised section with the harbour to one side and the old town to the other.
Shop until you drop There’s no doubting the attraction of Gunwharf Quays when it comes to shopping. Once the former home of HMS Vernon, the Royal Navy’s Torpedo Branch, the site now boasts 90 designer outlets at this great location with easy parking – and after you’ve finished with the shops, there are wonderful bars and restaurants to revive you. Nearby is Commercial Road which houses all the major high street names and the Cascades Shopping Centre. While in Southsea you will find Knight and Lee (John Lewis) in the Palmerston Road precinct along with a large Debenhams
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department store. If you prefer to shop in independent boutiques, head for Marmion Road and Albert Road where you will find everything from antiques, artworks and artisan chocolates. Take the time to wander and enjoy the laid-back atmosphere. At the end of a shopping spree, make your way to the Belle Isle in Osborne Road for great food, a buzzing atmosphere and a pitcher of Sangria.
Discover the creative side of Portsmouth With its long association with great authors Portsmouth’s literary heritage is well known and you will find blue and brown plaques around the city. Charles Dickens was born in the city in 1812 and his birthplace, a small house on Old Commercial Road, is now a museum, which celebrates the author’s life and his many novels. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle worked in Portsmouth as a doctor and it was at No. 1 Bush Villas on Elm Grove that he wrote the first two Sherlock Holmes novels. Rudyard Kipling also lived for a time in the city and you will find his house in Campbell Road which bears a blue plaque to mark his time in the city from 1871-77. Portsmouth is still a creative city, with a thriving contemporary art scene. Turner Prize winning artist Grayson Perry studied for a BA in fine art at Portsmouth Polytechnic and it is home now to a thriving creative scene. There are always exhibitions of fine and decorative art at the free Portsmouth Museum, contemporary art and upcoming artists at Aspex Gallery in Gunwharf Quays, and regular exhibitions at Art Space’s Gasp Gallery.
