Old Portsmouth

Today, we joined a small  group of other members of the City of Winchester Trust for a visit to Old Portsmouth. We started and finished our guided tour on the Point (see extra) which once was a small  area outside the jurisdiction of the  City, in which there were more than 40 pubs,and many other dubious businesses, crammed in to serve  the seafaring community. Now there are just  a handful of pubs, including the  Still and  West, where we enjoyed a good lunch, and enjoyed  watching the  many ships using this busy harbour, including the Royal Navy's Experimental Vessel XV Patrick Blackett.
Although  Portsmouth was badly bombed in  WW2 there remain some rather lovely streets and buildings such as Lombardy Street with its fine  Georgian houses .(See first extra with Spinnaker Tower just visible  behind.)  We saw the house where Lord Nelson stayed the night before he left  Portsmouth for the battle  of  Trafalgar, and his  death. Then we  walked on the newly renovated Hotwalls which act as a sea barrier.           In the afternoon Martin and I explored on our own, visiting the quite modern Cathedral and the much  older Royal Garrison Church, which started life in 1210 as part of Domus Dei (God's House), founded by Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester,  to provide care for  sick or  poor travellers and  pilgrims .It later became a munitions store,and in the  17th century, the  church  for  Portsmouth garrison. It was badly damaged by a firebomb in 1941 during WW2. However the chancel remains  roofed and now houses some new stained glass windows, including the  three in my blip. They were designed by Michael Farrar- Bell, and  depict, from left to right, Peter des Roches, the  fateful night of 1941, and  St Nicholas.