Portsmouth's Edwardian mosaics celebrate days when Britain ruled waves

Can you guess which building in Portsmouth expresses the best skills of Edwardian mosaicists as shown in these photographs?
HMS VictoryHMS Victory
HMS Victory

The floor in question was laid in 1907.

It can be found in the entrance to the Park Building behind the Guildhall, as Simon Hart’s pictures show.

The floor celebrates the centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar with a representation of HMS Victory.

A Dreadnought battleshipA Dreadnought battleship
A Dreadnought battleship
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The military supremacy of 100 years later is marked by a representation of the Dreadnought battleship.

Simon says: ‘I first had the pleasure of walking over this floor last century when I was a university student who had an examination in the building.

‘It impressed me and made me realise the Romans were not the only mosaicists even though they remain the most famous.’

n Doug Willis, of Edgeware Road, Milton, enjoyed my recent feature about 10 of the things anyone born in Portsmouth would recall.

Portsmouth's crestPortsmouth's crest
Portsmouth's crest
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The one that jumped out most for him was the picture of ‘Bricky’, the Brickwoods brewery mascot raising his tankard.

Doug says: ‘As soon as I saw the picture I knew my brother Mick [pictured below] had one standing on his kitchen dresser in Stoke-on-Trent. I asked him to forward photos so I could pass them on to you.

‘When his four grandchildren were infants Bricky was a favourite toy.

‘Mick is now 70 and the little fellow has been with him since his early pub days when it ‘‘followed’’ him out of a bar and became a family mascot.’