Here's why Portsmouth Guildhall clock tower has been lit up - and how long it will last

The landmark, which is part of Portsmouth’s Guildhall, will be illuminated until Tuesday as part of the commemorations around the anniversary of the Blitz during World War Two.

Sunday marks 80 years since the most devastating raid took place in the city.

The Blitz attacks rocked Portsmouth between January 10 and January 11 in 1941.

You can watch a video of the Guildhall clock tower being lit up at the top of this story.

The raid started at 5pm on January 10 and lasted into the early hours of January, during this time the Nazis dropped thousands of bombs on the city.

Following the Blitz large parts of the city were transformed into ‘smoking ruins’ and 172 people were killed, with hundreds more injured.

Portsmouth City Council have lit up the Guildhall clock tower to commemorate the anniversary of the blitzkrieg attack and you will be able to see it until Tuesday.

SEE ALSO: Portsmouth council to buy back 500 homes in the city that were sold under right to buy scheme

Cllr Steve Pitt, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Economic Development, said: ‘This is a very different anniversary to the kind we have had in previous years, but we felt it important to reflect and remember a very significant event in the city’s history; especially with the current restrictions and ongoing impact of COVID-19.

‘The eyewitness accounts and log book entries for the evening provide an insight into the timeline of the air raid, but it is the interactive map and the extensive locations of bomb sites between 1941 and 1944 that is so startling.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news online - as well as fewer adverts, access to our digital edition and mobile app.

Our trial offer starts at just £2 a month for the first two months.