Page 96 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - England's South Coast

94  ENGLAND ’ S SOUTH C O AST REGION B Y REGION

J Spinnaker Tower
Gunwharf Quays. Tel 023 9285 7520.
Open Jul–Aug: 9:30am–6pm daily;
Sep–late Jul: 10am–5:30pm daily. &
7 - = ∑ spinnakertower.co.uk
+ Portchester Castle
Church Rd. Tel 02392 378291.
Open late Mar–Sep: 10am–6pm daily;
Oct: 10am–5pm daily; Nov–late Mar:
10am–4pm Sat & Sun. Closed 1 Jan &
24–26 Dec. & 7 limited. = œ
∑ english-heritage.org.uk
5 Southampton
Hampshire. Map B2. * 255,000.
View of Portsmouth’s Old Town with the spectacular Spinnaker Tower in the background k ~ 3 @ g ( Fri & Sat.
4 Portsmouth the modest house where the This city has been a flourishing
famous Victorian novelist was port since the early Middle
Hampshire. Map B2. * 210,000. 3
@ g n D-Day Museum, Clarence born in 1812, and the striking Ages. Its city walls, extended
Esplanade; 023 9282 6722. ( Thu, Fri Spinnaker Tower, which rises by King Edward III in the 14th
& Sat. ∑ visitportsmouth.co.uk 170 m (558 ft) above Portsmouth, century, show its importance
with magnificent views over as a medieval royal harbour.
A vital naval port for centuries, the harbour and beyond. Southampton – like Portsmouth –
Portsmouth is a bustling, vibrant Portchester Castle, was one of the ports where
waterfront city with a fascinating on the north edge of the the Mayflower called before
history. Portsmouth Historic harbour, was fortified it sailed to America with the
Dockyard contains the city’s in the 3rd century and Pilgrim Fathers in 1620.
most important sights, with a is the best example of In the 19th century, it
range of maritime attractions. Roman sea defences became Britain’s
One is the hull of the Mary Rose, in northern Europe. foremost departure
the greatest of Henry VIII’s Around 1100, the point for transatlantic
warships, which capsized on its Normans used the liners sailing to America –
maiden voyage as it left to fight Roman walls in a new the Titanic left from
the French in 1545. Recovered castle, which Henry V here on its maiden
from the seabed in 1982, it is used as a base before and ultimately tragic
exhibited along with many of the Battle of Agincourt. voyage in 1912.
the 19,000 16th-century objects A well-marked walk
that have been raised from E Portsmouth runs around the remains
the wreck in a museum which Historic Dockyard of the city walls,
opened in 2013. Victory Gate, HM Memorial to the Pilgrim Fathers, which include the
The Dockyard’s most famous Naval Base. Tel 023 Southampton Bargate, the most
exhibit is HMS Victory, the flagship 9283 9766. Open elaborate surviving
on which Admiral Nelson was Apr–Oct: 10am– medieval gatehouse in England.
killed at Trafalgar in 1805 (see p37). 5:30pm daily; Nov–Mar: 10am–5pm It still has its 13th-century drum
daily. Closed 24–26 Dec. & 7
Here, visitors get a vivid idea of limited. 0 - = ∑ historic towers and is decorated with
life at sea in the age of sail. The dockyard.co.uk beautifully intricate 17th-
19th-century HMS Warrior and century armorial carvings.
World War I gunboat the M.33 E D-Day Museum Southampton’s maritime
are nearby, along with a special Clarence Esplanade. Tel 023 9282 past is showcased in the SeaCity
exhibit on the 1916 Battle of 6722. Open Apr–Sep: 10am–5:30pm Museum, with absorbing
Jutland, the National Museum daily; Oct–Mar: 10am–5pm daily. NB: interactive displays on the city’s
of the Royal Navy and a series closed for refurbishment until spring role as “gateway to the world”,
2018. & 7 - = ∑ dday
of other interactive attractions. museum.co.uk including special exhibits on
Portsmouth’s other major mili- ocean liners and the Titanic, with
tary memorial is the D-Day E Charles Dickens a large-scale model of the ship.
Museum, which contains the Birthplace Museum
Overlord Embroidery, depicting 393 Old Commercial Rd. Tel 023 E SeaCity Museum
the World War II Allied landings 9282 1879. Open late Mar–Sep: Havelock Rd. Tel 023 8083 3007.
in Normandy in 1944. 10am–5:30pm Fri–Sun; also 7 Feb Open 10am–5pm daily (last adm:
Among the city’s less-warlike (Dickens’s birthday). Last adm: 30 mins 1 hr before closing). Closed 1 Jan
attractions are the Charles before closing. & = ∑ charles & 24–26 Dec. & 7 - =
Dickens Birthplace Museum, dickensbirthplace.co.uk ∑ seacitymuseum.co.uk
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp176–7 and pp186–8

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