The city has a local lingo and many bizarre facts about its history, with there plenty of novelty for people to enjoy when visiting or moving to the city.
Find out some of the interesting and unusual things the city has to boast about below.
1. Keep and eye on your baby when Mr Bean is in town
South Parade Pier in Southsea appeared in an episode of Mr. Bean entitled Mind the Baby, Mr. Bean, in which Rowan Atkinson's iconic character accidentally takes a baby in its pram when it becomes hooked onto the back of his car. Another story, Mr. Bean in Room 426, sees the titular Bean visit the Queens Hotel in Southsea. I had seen both episodes before but was surprised to find out that they were filmed in Portsmouth. Picture: Trev Harman Photo: -
2. It's home to Henry VIII's warship
King Henry VIII, I am told, is said to have watched the Mary Rose sink into the Solent from Southsea Castle in 1545, centuries before it was famously raised in the 1980s. The Mary Rose Museum, in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard, offers a fascinating glimpse into Tudor history with thousands flocking to see it every year. You can find out more here: maryrose.org/events/2024/04/02/family-events/easter-activities-captain-vlad-and-the-mary-rose/. Photo: s
3. Neil Gaiman named a street
The Ocean at the End Lane at the western end of Canoe Lake in Southsea is named after the book of the same name. Beloved fantasy and comic book author Neil Gaiman - the mind behind American Gods and Sandman - grew up in Purbrook and Southsea in the 1960s and was actually born in Portchester. Photo: Malcolm Wells
4. Watch where you swim
Sea pollution is a prominient and contentious issue in and around Portsmouth, not least because the Solent is one of the world's busiest waterways. Beachgoers will be warned not to swim in Southsea this summer after the Environment Agency found a bathing site with poor water quality. Photo: Habibur Rahman