Old Portsmouth map leaves residents stumped

Howard Thompson, 59, discovered the map at a car boot sale, but with the top of the map missing, there is no date for it.

After tweeting a picture of the map and asking for help, residents joined in the discussion in an attempt to solve the mystery. Mr Thompson said: ‘Car boot sales are a great place to find things like this.

‘The map shows Colewort Barracks, which I thought was demolished in the late 1920s, but Camber Bridge is gone, which went in 1925.

‘The problem is that because the map was done by a London company, it’s likely that they didn’t check that every landmark or road still exists – the manpower needed for that would simply be impossible.

‘If I were to hazard a guess, the map is dated between 1921 and 1927, although I get the feeling we’ll never get an answer to this.’

Stuart Crow, a member of the Pompey Supporters’ Trust, also has the same map in his possession.

He said: ‘It’s a pre-Second World War layout but, I believe, published shortly after the war.

‘There are also all sorts of anachronisms and minor inaccuracies around the Dockyard, so it’s tough to accurately date it.’

Portsmouth City Museum confirmed that the map predates 1959, since the Floating Bridge can be seen, but is also stumped by the mystery.