NOSTALGIA: Another long gone Portsmouth pub

In this photograph taken at Kingston Cross, Portsmouth, in 1928, Fratton Road has been closed and everything has to pass along Kingston Crescent. A police constable ensures no-one passes.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Jun 2018, 21:00 BST
Updated 16th Jul 2018, 16:47 BST
During 1928 and 1929 Fratton Road was widened from St Marys Church to Fratton Bridge which meant all traffic was diverted along Kingston Crescent. Picture: Barry Cox CollectionDuring 1928 and 1929 Fratton Road was widened from St Marys Church to Fratton Bridge which meant all traffic was diverted along Kingston Crescent. Picture: Barry Cox Collection
During 1928 and 1929 Fratton Road was widened from St Marys Church to Fratton Bridge which meant all traffic was diverted along Kingston Crescent. Picture: Barry Cox Collection

The points in the tram track would have been plugged to stop any tramcar passing over the junction.

The building on the corner is Smith & Vosper, the well-known bakery. The sign says: ‘Smith & Vosper Care’.

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Next door to the bakery was the Sportsman. The Portsmouth Pubs website tells us: ‘Formerly the Eagle until the 1880s, the Sportsman stood mid-terrace at busy Kingston Cross. Purchased from the Jewell brewery by Brickwood’s around 1899, the pub survived until 1938 when it was demolished along with the adjacent buildings to make way for a road widening scheme.’

Kingston Cross, 2018. Smith & Vospers and the Sportsman pub have long gone as have the tram tracks. As a result the junction is a far less interesting location.Kingston Cross, 2018. Smith & Vospers and the Sportsman pub have long gone as have the tram tracks. As a result the junction is a far less interesting location.
Kingston Cross, 2018. Smith & Vospers and the Sportsman pub have long gone as have the tram tracks. As a result the junction is a far less interesting location.

Today Kingston Cross does not look any wider than the original photograph so whether the road widening took place I cannot say. Mind you, the war started the following year so perhaps it was abandoned.

This busy junction is normally the scene of non-stop traffic so I got there at 6am on a Saturday to get a clear shot.

•Ryde Pier with its unique system of self-propelled trams. The driver could only drive at one end and on reaching Ryde Esplanade it was propelled back to the Pier Head station. There were several incidents of trams hitting the buffers.

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It opened in August 1864 with horse-drawn vehicles on the half-mile-long pier. By 1886 the cars were driven electrically. Petrol took over in 1927.

Ryde Pier, Isle of Wight long before any pop festivals. I wonder what any homecoming festival fans from the Isle of Wight would have made of these ornate trams used on the pier. Picture: Barry Cox collectionRyde Pier, Isle of Wight long before any pop festivals. I wonder what any homecoming festival fans from the Isle of Wight would have made of these ornate trams used on the pier. Picture: Barry Cox collection
Ryde Pier, Isle of Wight long before any pop festivals. I wonder what any homecoming festival fans from the Isle of Wight would have made of these ornate trams used on the pier. Picture: Barry Cox collection

Comfort was not a feature of the two-minute journey; capacity counted and two cars carried 90 including those standing.

Diesel took over in 1958/59 but 10 years later the line closed, on January 26, 1969.

This picture dates to about 1920. I wonder what homecoming festival fans would have made of these ornate trams?

Picture: Barry Cox Collection

Related topics:NostalgiaPortsmouthPubs