Portsmouth Point, or "Spice Island", is part of

Old Portsmouth Old Portsmouth is a district of the city of Portsmouth. It is the area covered by the original medieval town of Portsmouth as planned by Jean de Gisors. It is situated in the south west corner of Portsea Island. The area contains many historic b ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, on the southern coast of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The name Spice Island comes from the area's seedy reputation, as it was known as the "Spice of Life". Men were easily found and press-ganged into Nelson's navy from Portsmouth Point due to its hostelries and for being where prostitutes plied their trade. The area forms the eastern side of the narrow entrance to

Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it ...

, facing Gosport on the western side.

History

Historically, the Point lay outside the boundaries of Portsmouth, with access being controlled by various fortifications over the centuries. Walls and gates separating the point from the rest of Portsmouth are attested in the 16th century. By 1571 the gate was known as the north gate. It was rebuilt as Point Gate sometime around 1600 before being renamed King James's Gate after further work in 1687. On the south side military defences protecting the harbour entrance were built. Civilian building in the area began in 1590 with storehouses of various types. During the 17th century an increasing range of businesses had taken hold in the area with four taverns being recorded by 1610. By the 18th century the point had become a popular destination for sailors on leave from ships moored at

Spithead Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...

. This resulted in the area becoming notorious for lewd behaviour and was mainly composed of

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

and brothels, and appeared as such in

Thomas Rowlandson Thomas Rowlandson (; 13 July 175721 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation. A prolific artist and printmaker, Rowlandson produced both individual social an ...

's etching named after the Point. This etching was also the inspiration for

William Walton Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...

's musical piece of the same name, written in 1925 for full orchestra. The advent of steam meant that more ships entered

Portsmouth harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it ...

proper and as a result fewer sailors visited the point. The gates that controlled access to the point were removed in the 1860s. Now the area is part of the desirable and historic city of Portsmouth containing the majority of the remaining early defences of the city and Camber Dock. In 2015, the Land Rover BAR America's Cup race headquarters - now Ineos Team UK - was completed. The nearby Camber Dock still retains a small fishing fleet and a fish market. A magazine published by the Portsmouth Grammar School is named after the Point.

"Pompey"

The Portsmouth Point name was commonly contracted to Po'm. P. when handwritten in ships logbooks to save time and space, which gave rise to the nickname of "''Pompey''" for Portsmouth Point. Pompey is also the present day nickname of the city of Portsmouth, the naval base and the professional football club - although there are many alternative theories of the Pompey nickname origin in these three contexts.

Gallery

File:Portsmouth point OS25 inch to mile1858.PNG, A map of the point in the second half of the 19th century File:Portsmouth MMB 65.jpg, A contemporary view of Old Portsmouth (left) and The Point (right)

References

{{reflist Portsmouth