Portsmouth Daily Photo

Mylin IV visits Portsmouth (Collage)

2008-05-31T13:50:00.006Z

The Superyacht 'Mylin IV' visits Portsmouth this weekend. Heres a selection of pictures I shot of it. Some details:MYLIN IV was built for the late Ted Arison, owner of Carnival Cruise Lines. The yacht is still owned by his family. She was named after his wife Lin and was his fourth and last yacht. It has 14 crew and can have 11 guests on board.

Two images from on the actual ship follow (taken from the interior suppliers website):

Just for these two..

2008-05-25T07:47:00.002Z

2nd in the series.

Just for these two..

2008-05-25T07:44:00.002Z

Out of retirement just for these two pictures.

I think that many people around the world would like to see these pictures.

News

2007-01-09T11:49:00.000Z

Unfortunately due to lack of time I`ve been forced to stop updating the Portsmouth Daily and Ryde Daily photo blogs.

Having to update the blogs once a day as well as go and shoot more pictures became just too time consuming. Instead, I`m going to concentrate on my main focus in photography - long exposure.

In my night time and low light photo blog I`ll be posting occasional images, once a week if I can.

Please drop by that blog, enjoy the pictures and leave some comments!

Portsmouth Taxi's

2006-10-01T20:17:00.000Z

Portsmouth taxi's in 'The Hard' waiting to pick up. This is right next to the train station, it usually has a big queue of taxi's waiting outside. You can see a few 'typical' taxi's like the one to the right which is a London cab style (as well as one far left) but the rest are mainly privately owned cars with a taxi logo on them!

Old Bluey

2006-09-21T05:48:00.000Z

Continuing my mini-theme of blue, this is a brand new building thats just been completed right opposite the bus station (The Hard). I was curious about this building - it doesn't look like a normal apartment building, more like an office block, but it has mailboxes all in a row outside. And whats with the blue tinted windows??

The Blue Building

2006-09-19T06:00:00.000Z

This is the 'Blue Building' thats part of the Gunwharf Quays development. I`m guessing that its blue as a link to the sea - you can see the developers have followed the general rules of 'merging in with the landscape' (not quite) and using subtle shades (definatly not). Its actually an apartment block but looks like an office block. Personally I dont know what they were thinking...

View location of 'The Blue Building' at Google Maps.
This was shot before it was even built!

HMS Warrior

2006-09-17T11:19:00.000Z

Dating from 1860, HMS Warrior is one of the major tourist attractions at the Portsmouth Naval base. The official site says 'As you arrive at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, the stunning sleek, black lines of Britain's first iron-hulled, armoured battleship, take your breath away.

The pride of Queen Victoria, Warrior revolutionised warship construction. Powered by steam and sail, she was the largest and fastest ship of her day. Her most radical innovation was her citadel - an armoured box housing her guns.'

View Satellite image of HMS Warrior @ Google maps.

Spice Island Panorama

2006-09-14T17:11:00.000Z

The promised night time panoramic of Old Portsmouth and the Spinnaker Tower

Pavement Cafe

2006-09-11T18:03:00.000Z

This is the closest thing to a pavement cafe in Southsea - its just a shame that theres an extremely busy road right to the side of it. I guess this could be called the 'trendy' cafe of the area.

The Queens Hotel

2006-09-10T09:13:00.000Z

Probably the most famous hotel in Southsea is 'The Queens Hotel' - I cant find any information about it online but I`m assuming it dates back to the 1800's, so named because Queen Victoria stayed here (or something similar).

If anybody knows anything of the history of The Queens Hotel, let me know and I`ll post it here.

View Satellite Image of The Queens Hotel @ Google Maps.

Candles (in the tent)

2006-09-08T06:15:00.000Z

Just around the corner from the coloured sands we have the candle holder stall - actually, I quite like them. However, I`m not paying these prices as they're deliberately inflated to get holiday makers to spend more. (Its common practice here to raise prices if its a public event).

Time for some colour

2006-09-07T15:58:00.000Z

There wasn't only kites at the festival, a tent had lots of 'exciting' things to do for the whole family - such as putting coloured sand into glass shapes.

In the Wind

2006-09-05T06:06:00.000Z

More Kites from Southsea Kite Festival 2006

Old Portsmouth Sunset (Panoramic)

2006-09-03T19:28:00.000Z

Sunset over Gosport with part of Old Portsmouth in view.

Panoramic Portsmouth at Dusk

2006-09-02T15:19:00.000Z

The entire western side of Portsmouth at dusk.

Summer Monument

2006-09-02T11:36:00.000Z

All the flowers were in bloom on the day of the Kite Festival.
This is the monument (as featured in an earlier post)

Doorway

2006-09-01T09:55:00.000Z

Today's theme for Daily Photobloggers is Doorways.

This doorway caught my eye as its two doors in one.
I guess you need to be a very thin person to live in this place ;)

41 Daily Photo sites are participating in the 1st September theme.

Please use the links to below to visit them.

Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.

If you view after the date then you may find the theme no longer accessible on some sites, but the majority will be available in archives.

1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8 -9 -10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17 -18 -19 -20 -21 -22 -23 -24 -25 -26 -27 -28 -29 -30-31 -32 -33 -34 -35 -36 -37 -38 -39 -40 -41

Kite Display

2006-08-31T06:23:00.000Z

A kite display team practicing at the Southsea Kite Festival.

Bouncy Castles

2006-08-29T11:09:00.000Z

I`ve seen bouncy castles but never a bouncy fort like this. Entertainment for the youngsters at the Kite Festival.

Southsea Kite Festival (Panorama)

2006-08-28T12:56:00.000Z

The whole of Southsea Kite Festival, posted on flickr.

Southsea Kite Festival 1

2006-08-28T12:54:00.000Z

Its the Southsea Kite Festival this weekend. This is the first picture from the series. Nice weather and plenty of wind, just right for flying kites ;)

The Moat at night

2006-08-27T07:08:00.000Z

This is the old Moat on Southsea seafront. Not far away from the previous posts, this dates back to the times of Henry VIII. The bridge in the foreground has been newly built and in the distance you can see the lights of Gosport.

Night pictures certainly give a new beauty to an otherwise unexciting location.

Southsea Seafront (Panoramic)

2006-08-26T11:27:00.000Z

I thought I`d post a panoramic shot of Southsea showing Old Portsmouth, Gosport and the Spice Island. Its posted in flickr as that enabled me to tag certain parts of the picture.

The Beach at night

2006-08-26T09:44:00.000Z

Moving to the other end of Southsea, and heres a night view of the beach with ships leaving light trails in the distance.

Fishing at night

2006-08-25T05:45:00.000Z

Due to the tide only coming and going twice a day, those keen fishermen have to be down by the sea at all hours to catch their fish. This is a shot showing some fishermen next to the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour, where the current is strongest. You can see their lights leaving trails in this picture. The towerblock in the distance is in Gosport, and the round tower is behind them, which dates back to the times of Henry VIII.

View this location @ Google Maps.
This image was taken just up the beach from the previous post.

Old Portsmouth at night

2006-08-24T05:50:00.003Z

And yes, another night shot! This time its the promenade down by Old Portsmouth with the Spinnaker Tower lit
up in red to the right. The Tower changes colour to suit either the mood, the date or the guy who looks after the lighting say 'blue tonight Bill'

Anyway, an atmospheric shot gives you an idea of the lighting (yes, the lights have a blue 'ball' on top') on the seafront away from the multicolours of the previous post.

View this location @ Google Maps.

The Seafront at night

2006-08-23T20:18:00.000Z

This is the seafront with the war memorial prominently showing. The seafront 'comes alive' in the dark, with multicoloured lights lighting the promenade all along the coast. Some information about the war memorial:

'It looks over the Solent and is a memorial which honours those whose lives were lost at sea during the two World Wars. The obelisk, bearing the names of those lost in World War I, was unveiled by the Duke of York on 15th October 1924. The extension to the monument carries the names of those lost in World War II. The monument carries the names of 24,558 men and women who died in both World Wars.'

View Satellite Image of this location @ Google Maps.

Southsea Common at night

2006-08-22T07:02:00.000Z

Those of you who follow this blog know that I enjoy night time photography - well, heres another one. This shows part of Southsea common which is a large expanse of grass - usually full of people playing games in the summer months. This shot shows some of the architecture you can find on the seafront.

View Satellite Image of this location @ Google Maps.

Summer cafe

2006-08-21T05:33:00.000Z

In Old Portsmouth theres a lovely old tea room - only open in the summer months, cosy and full of character. This is one of the lace curtains at the tea room, taken on my last visit ;)

Old Portsmouth Architecture

2006-08-20T07:18:00.000Z

Some typical architecture you can find in Old Portsmouth. Or is it? A bit of an oddity here - if you take a closer look, the bricks in the bottom half of the building are old and theres a curve above the window frame, but if you look at the upper half you can see they look newer. Not sure why they would have just rebuilt the upper half - or perhaps they ran out of old bricks??

Flower baskets

2006-08-19T08:54:00.000Z

Can you imagine a nicer place to stay? A guesthouse on the Spice Island, flower boxes in full bloom. Of course, I think it would look nicer if there were no cars - they seem to encroach everywhere these days.

Garrison Church Stained Glass

2006-08-17T16:12:00.000Z

Inside the Garrison Church, as its a memorial to the war the stained glass reflects this.

Tug

2006-08-16T06:07:00.000Z

One of a small fleet of Tugboats based in the harbour at Old Portsmouth. These head out to meet the big ships as they enter the harbour, to steer them to their dock. As most of the major commercial shipping goes to Southampton, we seem to only get banana boats these days (literally!)

Spice Island Inn

2006-08-15T06:18:00.000Z

Just to the right of the building in the previous post you can find the 'Spice Island Inn' - a delightful public house which is once again, a converted warehouse for holding the spice when it arrived from the Carribean.

View Satellite image of Spice Island Inn @ Google Maps.

For Sale

2006-08-14T15:57:00.000Z

... this lovely period three storey house on the Spice Island. I thought I would feature this as its a kind of 'typical' style of old wooden building you find in Old Portsmouth. I would say its probably around the half a million pound mark if you want to buy it! Its an old converted warehouse from the days the Spice Island was used for.. importing Spice ;)

Roundabout

2006-08-13T08:37:00.000Z

A summers day at Gunwharf. All kinds of exciting little rides and activities appear. Theres the fairground rides (like that above), the boat trips around the harbour, the terraces where you can sit and enjoy the weather and have a drink and the hundreds of people heading to their shop of choice. Personally, I`m not sure if we need these 'all in one' entertainment venues. What do you think? The building in the background under construction is the new 'giant lipstick' (as we call it) which will be 26 floors tall.

View Satellite image of this location @ Google maps.
The little red box is a similar ride in the same location.

The Last Fish Stall?

2006-08-12T09:20:00.000Z

Well, thats not technically true. This is the last fish market stall in the fishing harbour area, there is another stall that appears occasionally at market time in the main city shopping street. In the old days I`m sure the whole area was full of market stalls but as a sign of the times, this is the last one left.

View Satellite image of location @ Google maps.
Yes, you can even see the stall in the image, the little white rectangle in the center of the picture!

Canoe Lake at Dusk

2006-08-11T18:44:00.000Z

Another image from my selection of low light shots. The Canoe Lake, with the fine Swan hire boats in view!

View location @ Google Maps.

Baffins Pond at Dusk

2006-08-09T17:48:00.000Z

This is one of the only other 'ponds' or lakes there are in Portsmouth. Its nice to visit here at dusk as theres very little traffic around and none of the noise of the seafront.

View Baffins Pond @ Google Maps.

The Harbour Entrance at Dusk

2006-08-08T16:19:00.000Z

The entrance to Portsmouth Harbour at dusk - with Fishbourne car ferry just going out of shot. In the distance you can see the two apartment blocks on Gosport seafront. To the right is some old naval buildings.

Spinnaker at Night

2006-07-30T11:20:00.000Z

Couldn't resist posting a shot of the Spinnaker Tower at night. I think its best to shoot it when its lit by white light, but the tower has many other colors - red, blue, purple etc etc.You can also see the new houses at Gunwharf in the shadows to the right and the lights of the restaurants just to the bottom right of the tower itself.

View Satellite image of the Spinnaker Tower and Restaurants @ Google Maps.

Coloured Blocks

2006-07-29T06:40:00.000Z

These blocks were shot down at the local fishing dock/marina. They`re used to prop up the boats when they've been lifted out of the water - so they can be cleaned or painted etc. The colours caught my eye and I thought they`d make a good picture.

View Satellite image of the location of these blocks @ Google Maps.

The Static Wave

2006-07-28T11:02:00.000Z

One of the interestingly designed benches that visitors can sit on to admire the sea view on Southsea seafront.

Designed to mimmick a wave I would imagine! View the Satellite image to see what kind of view they have.

View Satellite Image of this location @ Google Maps.

Seaweed

2006-07-27T05:07:00.000Z

Seaweed freshly washed up on the beach.

Wooden Boat

2006-07-24T16:01:00.000Z

This boat was moored in Gunwharf the other afternoon. It caught my eye as the wood was so well kept - polished and gleaming in the sunlight.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

2006-07-24T05:37:00.000Z

This is the new monument that was erected this year to celebrate the birthday of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Born in Portsmouth on 9th April 1806, he went on to build several notable things: The Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships and numerous bridges. You can read all about Isambards inventions and the things he built on his wikipedia page.

The monument is quite a lavish affair with gold text and an interesting design reflecting the early days of steam below. Unfortunately theres some problem with the statue that was to go on top, either it wasn't ready or some other such misfortune so the monument stands waiting for the arrival of the great man himself.

View Satellite image of the location of the monument.
Its in the small circle of trees with sand in the middle.

Gunwharf Shopping

2006-07-23T05:52:00.000Z

Just around the corner from King James Quay is the (before mentioned) Gunwharf Quays. This picture shows one of the prime shopping 'malls' that are in Gunwharf, mainly selling designer goods for much reduced prices (the prices marked always seem to change when you go to the checkout - being reduced further).

Also here is the one and only Starbucks in the whole of Portsmouth. I`m not sure if they had to give an exclusivity contract to Gunwharf for reduced rent to keep Starbucks purely a Gunwharf attraction - but at least we have Costa elsewhere.

The architecture is quite nice - modern and clean with a hint of natural materials. I`ll leave you to make up your own minds as to whether you like it.

View Satellite image of Gunwharf Quays Shopping @ Google Maps.

Prime Housing (King James Quay)

2006-07-22T05:41:00.000Z

Continuing my theme of Old Portsmouth, this is an example of the new houses that are springing up everywhere. Well, not quite a usual example - this is a development by Sea Containers (one of the biggest owners of Ports and shipping lines in the world), surprising as this part of Portsmouth is no-where near the current container port.

I`m guessing there used to be a container dock here years ago and Sea Containers decided to create these houses on the land rather than let it go to waste when the dock was no longer needed. Anyway, if you want to live here, you need plenty of money! The average price for a three storey town house in this area is 375,000gbp (700,000$ - 550,000e) - bear in mind that is a 'terrace' meaning the houses are in a long row, not detached.

Still, the houses are nice and I think they fit in with the traditional mood of the area. What do you think?

View Satellite image of this area @ Google Maps.
You can clearly see the green of the gardens in the center of the shot.

Old Portsmouth and the Tower

2006-07-21T06:04:00.000Z

A view of Old Portsmouth and the Spinnaker Tower from the car ferry on leaving Portsmouth.You can clearly see the masts of HMS Victory and HMS Warrior to the left and the cranes of the new Gunwharf buildings to the right. The tall white building just next to the Spinnaker Tower is the headquarters of Pall Europe (they make some kind of industrial filters).

The land with the white building is called the 'Spice Island' which, in the old days, used to import many exotic spices from the Carribean. The only cargo that Portsmouth receives these days are bananas - and they go up to the container port further up the harbour. You can see a better view of the actual Spice Island here.

View Satellite view of The Spice Island @ Google Maps.

Trafalgar 200: Fireworks 9/9

2006-07-20T09:17:00.000Z

'The Finale'

Trafalgar 200: Fireworks 8/9

2006-07-19T09:16:00.000Z

Trafalgar 200: Fireworks 7/9

2006-07-18T09:15:00.000Z

'The Ballet Dancers'

Trafalgar 200: Fireworks 6/9

2006-07-17T09:14:00.000Z

More Palm Trees

Trafalgar 200: Fireworks 5/9

2006-07-16T09:13:00.000Z

'The Smiling Face'

I have no idea how they created a smiling face in fireworks.

Trafalgar 200: Fireworks 4/9

2006-07-15T09:12:00.000Z

'The Palm Trees'

Trafalgar 200: Fireworks 3/9

2006-07-14T09:11:00.000Z

Trafalgar 200: Fireworks 2/9

2006-07-13T09:04:00.000Z

Trafalgar 200: Fireworks 1/9

2006-07-12T09:01:00.000Z

An amazing fireworks spectacular at the end of the reinactment blew everybody away - apparently the display was set up by the same guy who made the Sydney New Year 2000 fireworks on the Harbour Bridge. Anyway, the next 9 pictures will give you some idea of how it was to be there.

Trafalgar 200: Darkness approaches

2006-07-12T08:04:00.000Z

This was taken during the reinactment of the Battle of Trafalgar. Nelson walked through the crowds to meet a waiting boat - then he was taken to a mock up of HMS Victory (the real ship is actually on display in the Historic Dockyard and you can walk around it) and the battle commenced.

Due to the huge amount of people there is was rather a crowded event, people pushing and shoving to get to a good vantage point. I didn't stick around here for long and made my way to a deserted bowling green where I thought I might get some nice pictures of the fireworks. And I did ;)

View Satellite image of HMS Victory in Portsmouth Dockyard @ Google Maps.

Trafalgar 200: The Giant Viewscreen

2006-07-11T07:52:00.000Z

This is the viewscreen that the BBC rigged up for visitors to watch the fleet review. I took this picture because of the couple in the center of the picture - certainly very English! There was also a reinactment with people dressed up in traditional soldiers costumes (you can see one man on the right wearing his).

Trafalgar 200: All at sea

2006-07-08T05:06:00.000Z

A view of some of the ships that were in The Solent for the Fleet review. In the distance is the Charles de Gaulle, pride of the French Navy, one of the tall ships next to that and the funny little floating platforms in the foreground are the fireworks which lit up the sky in the evening. More on them later!

Trafalgar 200: The Crowds

2006-07-07T05:38:00.000Z

I thought I`d post a small selection of highlights from Trafalgar 200 - for those of you who couldn't make the festivities last year. Trafalgar 200 was the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

I was there armed with my camera of course. From the sheer number of people there, you could tell something a bit special was going to happen. First there was a re-enactment of the battle in old sailing ships just off Southsea, the entire fleet from around the world had gathered out at sea for a fleet review by the queen and it was all culminated by a fantastic fireworks display - probably the best I`d ever seen. The following pictures will show some of the highlights. I hope you enjoy them!

View Satellite image of the location of this shot @ Google maps.

The other side

2006-07-06T13:27:00.000Z

I called this picture 'The other side' as this location is exactly opposite on the island to the previous posting. This is whats known as 'Gunwharf Quays' which is the newest up and coming housing, retailing and entertainment area on Portsea Island. As you can see from the picture, its in a similar style to West Point (last post).

Credit to them, they have tried to keep something of the old Naval base here, the crane in the distance for one! You can find shops, pubs, bars, clubs, attractions, cinemas here - you name it. Also, its the home to the Spinnaker Tower (see previous post) which is located at once corner.
At the moment they're completing the final phase of the housing area which includes a huge 26 storey block of apartments/offices (just to the left of where I shot this).

One thing puzzles me - they seem to be making Gunwharf an entity of its own, kind of an island within an island. The place is surrounded either by high walls or new apartment blocks so once you walk through the gate its like you're in a new town. In other words, it doesn't quite fit in with the landscaping of Portsmouth in general.

Oh, and the housing is expensive once again. Around 275,000 gbp (400,000e or 500,000usd) for a 2 bedroom apartment. Not sure if I would pay that much even if I had the money!

View a Satellite image of this area @ Google Maps.
In the image you can clearly see the apartments around the edges of Gunwharf Quays.

There was a time

2006-07-05T05:44:00.000Z

Over in the Eastern side of Portsmouth island is the former location of the business school. The University had nice old buildings here which dated back to the 1940's or so. Anyway, time and progress happened, the Business school moved to the west side of the island to a brand new building and the old school was demolished to make way for... you guessed it, more housing. And this picture is the end result. Its not cheap housing either, Portsmouth has some of the most expensive real estate in the country as you can see from this link

I`m not complaing about this building - I quite like the Scandinavian styling, the light and airy feel of the place - its just a shame they had to demolish the old building and not preserve it or restore it even making it into housing.

View Satellite image of this location @ Google Maps
Funnily enough, this satellite image shows the old building in part demolished state

A Famous Face (or two?)

2006-07-04T18:29:00.000Z

What is so special about this house you might be asking yourself? Well, its actually the birthplace of Charles Dickens. As the official website of the house states:

"The famous writer Charles Dickens was born in this modest house in Portsmouth, England in 1812. The house has miraculously survived and is now preserved as a museum furnished in the style of 1809 which is when John and Elizabeth Dickens set up the first home of their married life there.

They had no idea that their eldest son would go on to become one of the most internationally famous writers popular across the world for his novels and short stories. John Dickens came to Portsmouth when his job in the Navy Pay Office was transferred from London. They stayed here until 1815 when his job demanded that he return to London. Charles Dickens only lived in Portsmouth for the first three years of his life but he returned to the town on three occasions. Once he returned to research background information for his novel 'Nicholas Nickleby', and on two occasions later in life when he was a famous writer to give public readings of his work. On his last visit in 1866 he tried to find his birthplace but was unsuccessful, however it is now clearly signposted so visitors can find it easily!"

Portsmouth has many famous former residents among them: Charles Dickens, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the museum here has an entire collection of his memorabilia including his notebook) and Peter Sellers was born here (above a Chinese takeaway).

Since Charles Dickens was here the city has changed a lot, and I`m not sure he would appreciate the huge city housing blocks that have sprung up nearby.

View Charles Dickens Birthplace @ Google Maps.

(The house is in the center of the shot, one of the terrace of four. If you follow the road up, you`ll find its large neighbours)

The Estuary

2006-07-03T15:23:00.000Z

In this part of the world, the tide comes in and goes out twice a day - every six hours. As Portsmouth is on an island (albeit a small one) this means the entire place goes high and dry twice a day, and this is the scene at the top of the island at that time.

On the left of the picture you can see the 'Portsmouth Sail' which is designed as a kind of 'symbol' that you're entering the city - its right next to a major junction of two motorways that meet right in that spot. IBM UK headquarters is located up there as well. A cycle track runs all along the Western side of the island and thats what you can see as you follow the right side of the picture.

As you can imagine, on a hot day this area does smell a little. To the left, out of sight, is a large scrap yard - there are constant rumours that its going to be developed into ... something. But those rumours just seem to be just that, rumours!

View a Satellite image of the location of this shot @ Google maps.

You can clearly see the scrap yard to the left and across the other side of the motorway, if you move the image you can follow the cycle track upwards towards the top of the island.

The Spinnaker Tower

2006-07-02T15:16:00.000Z

Ah yes. The Infamous (at least around here) Spinnaker Tower. Completed in 2005, only 6 years late (it was originally supposed to be called the Millenium Tower). Personally I think its rather a nice addition to the skyline here in Portsmouth. You cant go anywhere on the whole of Portsea Island without catching this in the corner of your eye.It sits right at the entrance to the harbour, when arriving by ship its quite a dramatic sight.

A few problems were associated with the building of the tower - the concrete cracked, the tower went overbudget and then when it was due to open an executive of the city council got stuck in the glass elevator on the outside for some time! I`m still not sure the glass elevator even works to this date.

Visitor numbers have, however, surpassed expectations with over 250,000 coming to take the lift or walk the stairs to the top. I haven't yet ;) A later picture on the blog will be a night time shot of the tower - they change the color according to... well, something known only to them. Personally I think the white spot lights are most effective against the night sky.

View Satellite image of the the Spinnaker Tower @ Google maps

An interesting shot as it currently shows it before completion.

Southsea Canoe Lake

2006-06-30T16:19:00.000Z

This is Southsea Canoe Lake, as I mentioned in the previous post. Plenty of events happen around and on the lake during the summer; you can hire a giant swan to float around (!), the Portsmouth Model Boat Display Team are frequently down there late in the summer afternoons.

Located at the Eastern end of the seafront, the lake isn't really that big but its location is quite nice - trees down one site and a well kept park with flowers throughout the summer. There are seats there on which to relax and enjoy the spectacle of model boats flying up and down the lake as well as a childrens play area just far enough away to not be disturbed by the noise.

The lake has been a popular part of the seafront for many years.

View a Satellite image of Southsea Canoe Lake @ Google maps.

You can clearly see the flower beds and the 'giant swans' on the lake.

Portsmouth Butterfly House

2006-06-29T17:07:00.000Z

A colorful butterfly, one you can find at the Portsmouth Butterfly House which is part of the Natural History Museum. Portsmouth doesn't have too many museums, and the ones it does have tend to be more targetted at the younger generation but the Butterfly House is a refreshing addition. You can visit the museums site here

As the info text says, its pretty hot in the Butterfly House, probably around a constant +28 or so. Its nice to be able to walk along with the butterflies flying around you, however its not the easiest thing to get a decent picture of them!

Located at the Eastern End of Southsea, its right next to Southsea Canoe lake which I will be featuring next.

View Satellite image of the Portsmouth Natural History Museum and Butterfly House.

The Garrison Church at night

2006-06-28T09:03:00.000Z

The Garrison Church can be found in Old Portsmouth, the oldest and most historical area of Portsmouth. The oldest part (similar to many old churches, the sections were built at different times) dates back to around the year 1212 (according to this site) . Since then its survived through the reign of Henry VIII, the First and Second World wars and now its the home of memorials to those fallen during those wars.

I decided to shoot the church at night, using the stars to good effect. Its a fairly tranquil area, with the sea just to the right over the grass hill and a field (still belonging to the Ministry of Defence apparently) behind it. Its a nice place to visit at night, as long as you can live with the harsh flourescent lights that surround the car park opposite.

View Satellite image of the Garrison Church @ Google maps

In the image it shows the church with the old moat to the south east. Try to ignore the bad join, this is one place that Google messed up!

A taste of France

2006-06-28T06:36:00.000Z

There are some wonderous sights here in Portsmouth. Wandering down the many small roads you might be forgiven for thinking that all you see are row upon row of terraced houses but there are a few gems out there. Like this small line of houses in Campbell Road. A sleeping road between roads, tucked away from the main hustle of Portsmouth city.

Very French in style, I would assume they were built in the late 40's after World War 2, as Portsmouth was bombed heavily leaving very few buildings in place (though I may be wrong).

Pastel colours enhance the display and give more of a continental feel and the extremely well presented gardens are simply beautiful to look at. Definately a place to visit if you feel the need to escape the usual red brick former ship workers homes.

View Satellite image of Campbell Road @ Google maps

A fine example of a city street

2006-06-27T15:57:00.001Z

The first post is an example of how cramped Portsmouth, or Portsea island is, for space. Just imagine how nice this road would be without all the cars??

For those football fans out there, within the space of 500m is the home of Portsmouth football club, you can imagine these streets packed with fans whenever there is a game on.

By the way, not many streets in Portsmouth are tree lined like this - this is a rarity. The street planners in this area obviously dont class trees too highly, but if you check the map below it seems theres plenty in the gardens!

View Satellite image of this road @ Google maps