A home from home that gave comfort to thousands of sailors in Portsmouth

Duchess of Albanys Sailors' and Soldiers' Home, later Aggie Westons Royal Sailors' Rest.

Built in 1908, it was located on the corner of Edinburgh Road and Unicorn Road, Landport, Portsmouth.

The building is still there of course.

It was built as the Duchess of Albany’s Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Home in competition, I suppose, to Aggies which could be found around the corner and northward along Commercial Road.

I wonder how many looking at this Barry Cox photograph from 1961 will know that there was once an Essoldo cinema on the corner of Eastney Road and Devonshire Avenue? Not many Im sure.

That massive building was destroyed on the night of January 10/11 1941.

In 1951 Aggie Weston’s purchased the Sailors’ & Soldiers’ Home and converted it to the Royal Sailors’ Rest.

Farther along in Edinburgh Road was the Trafalgar Club which later closed and became a Wetherspoons Lloyds Bar. That has also since closed.

With the cutting back of naval personnel, the sailors’ rest closed and became a homeless people’s centre called the Portsmouth Foyer.

It has since been renovated and has now become affordable apartments.