Portsmouth Hotels

Pre 20th Century History
The UK's only island city is understood to have been properly founded in 1180 by the Norman landowner John of Gisors. The literal name preceded this settlement, however, with 9th century mentions of Portesmūða. The town became a military and naval base in 1194, when King Richard I (The Lionheart) vengefully summoned a fleet there after being held captive by Duke Leopold V of Austria. For its strategic importance, he awarded the town special rights and privileges, including exemption from tax. After taking a shine to the place, he built a number of royal houses and a hall. By the time of King John's reign (circa 1200), Portsmouth was established as a permanent naval base with an eye on Normandy. It was used to invade Normandy in the 13th century, Kings Henry III and Edward I both launched attacks against France from here. Within the next century, the port expanded to also include commercial operations - wool, grain, wheat, wood, wax, iron and, its largest trade, wine. These operations left the port exposed, however, and Portsmouth was attacked in 1338. Employing the simple ruse of flying English flags on their ships, French invaders overran the town, burning down buildings, raping, pillaging and slaughtering. Bad times continued when, a decade later, the plague swept through several times. Over the next 50 years French fleets continued to sack the city. Henry V and then Henry VIII responded by building permanent fortifications: the still-standing Round and Square Towers, and the Southsea Castle. It was from this castle in 1545 that Henry VIII famously saw Mary Rose, a premier British warship, founder off the coast. Five hundred people died and, adding to the ignominy, it was acting against a French fleet at the time. The city had increased in size dramatically by the end of the 17th century and began to sprawl. Houses were built near the dockyard, although the dockyard governor was unimpressed by this development, concerned that the houses could be potentially be used as cover for advancing troops. In 1703 he threatened to fire his dockyard cannons at any new houses built. Royal intervention stopped any locals becoming cannon fodder, however, and by 1792 this established suburb became known as Portsea. It eventually overshadowed the former centre of the town - which became known as Old Portsmouth - housing nearly three times as many people as the historic centre. This prefigured the expansion that was to come in the 19th century as the inhabitants spread across the whole island. At the beginning of the 20th century Portsmouth's population was slightly larger than it is today. The city latterly counted some famous names among its population - Portsmouth was not all salty dogs and Royal whims. A literary culture bloomed beyond the docks: Charles Dickens breathed his first and last breaths in Portsmouth, moving to London and writing a few books between these cardiovascular events; Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his first Sherlock Holmes works in Portsmouth; and Rudyard Kipling and HG Wells also had stints in Portsmouth.

Modern History
In the early 20th century, Portsmouth grew to include the whole of Portsea Island. With the world wars providing shipyard employment, Portsmouth's population had blown out to 260,000 by 1939 and much of the nearby mainland was also considered part of Portsmouth. As a historic naval base and coastal city, Portsmouth endured heavy attention from enemy forces in WWII. It was bombed extensively in over 60 air raids, during which 12,000 houses and public buildings were destroyed or damaged and 930 people were killed. Unexploded bombs are still being found as the city is redeveloped. Portsmouth was also an important site for the Allies' operations. The harbour and Southsea beach were embarkation points for the famous D-Day landings of 1944, the largest seaborne invasion in history. Just north of Portsmouth, Southwick House was Dwight D Eisenhower's base for the D-Day raids. Much of the post-war redevelopment was uninspiring and bestowed a dreary air upon the city; many people were relocated to new estates on the city's outskirts, such as Paulsgrove and Leigh Park. The sprawling trend continued in the second half of the 20th century as the areas around Portsmouth were cleared for housing developments and employment at the dockyards dwindled. Despite these shifts, the city remains densely populated: it is the second most densely populated place in the UK, behind Inner London.

Recent History
These days Portsmouth is invaded not by marauding French, but by holidaymakers armed with cameras and picnics. Tourism is one of the city's biggest industries and it now invests heavily in telling the tales of its torrid history. Regeneration at the nearby Gunwharf Quays has added new glitz to its formerly scurvy-riddled waterfront. A spectacular millennium-inspired structure, the Spinnaker Tower, opened here in 2005, with views to knock the wind from its critics' sails. Soon to be completed nearby is the twenty-nine-storey East Side Plaza. Other residential and retail towers are also being built to rejuvenate the waterfront.