Barrier which looked as if you might walk on water from Gosport to Portsmouth

We make a welcome return to Gosport today with three pictures sent to me by one of the town's honorary aldermen, Don Lucas.
The barrier across the entrance to Portsmouth HarbourThe barrier across the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour
The barrier across the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour

Above, in a picture believed to have been taken about 1905, we are looking across the harbour from Gosport to Portsmouth.

The ‘trackway’ across the mouth of the harbour was a barrier designed to keep out enemy ships at times of diplomatic tensions, especially submarines.

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This picture showing sailors working along the barrier, may have been taken when it was first assembled and tested.

Gosport ferryGosport ferry
Gosport ferry

Or perhaps it was a training exercise to see how quickly it could be put together.

The lovely hand-tinted postcard shows the Gosport ferry pontoon with the old floating bridge making its way either across to Old Portsmouth or into Gosport.

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