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Portsmouth Libraries
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About Portsmouth - show infohide info
Portsmouth is a city lying on the south coast of England. The city lies in the county of Hampshire, and has a population of 186,701 as of the 2001. Portsmouth is famous for having the worlds oldest dry dock, and for being the home of the Royal Navy. The Portsmouth area has been inhabited since Roman times, as nearby Portchester, however the actual city of Portsmouth was founded in 1180 by John of Gisors. It is thought that most early records of Portsmouth were destroyed by the Norman Invasion. In 1194, Richard I granted Portsmouth its Royal Charter, allowing the city an annual fair, a weekly (Thursday) market. In 1220, this charter was re-affirmed by King John. The desire of King John to invade Normandy led to Portsmouth being selected to be the base of the English naval fleet. During the 13th century, Portsmouth was regularly used as a base for attacks against France. By the 14th century, commercial interests in the city had expanded considerably, and despite a rivalry with nearby Southampton, with imports including wool, grain, wheat, woad, wax and iron, however the ports largest trade was in wine from Bayonne and Bordeaux. Portsmouth has had a number of fortifications, including walls and towers, added over the years. Most of these are now tourist attractions in the town. During WWII, the city was heavily bombed. Portsmouth was a military embarkation point for the D-day landings of 1944. The town has remained prosperous as a port, though the types of imports have shifted, and the city has become economically successful via other methods, tourism being very important to the city, along with the service industry employing, and providing for, the inhabitants. In 2005, the Spinnaker Tower was completed, bringing in additional tourists. The city's famed 'brutalist' 1960's shopping centre, the Tricorn Centre, was finally demolished. The Tricorn Centre was regularly voted to be one of the ugliest buildings in Britain. Portsmouth has two railway stations, Portsmouth Harbour and Portsmouth and Southsea. Portsmouth Harbour sees trains mainly to London Waterloo, with additional services to Brighton and Cardiff. Portsmouth Harbour connects to ferries for Gosport and the Isle of Wight. All trains from Portsmouth Harbour call at Portsmouth and Southsea, which sees extra services to London Waterloo, and some services to Southampton. Nearby towns to Portsmouth include Fareham, Southampton, Eastleigh, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Gosport, Havant, Waterlooville, Chichester and Newport (Isle of Wight).
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