Pictured: The cranes which once defined Portsmouth Dockyard demolished in 1970s

This view within Portsmouth Dockyard, as it was still known at the time, was not taken during the Second World War or in the 1950s even, it was taken on February 3, 1972.
By The Newsroom
Published 7th Jan 2019, 11:08 BST
Updated 10th Jan 2019, 14:37 BST
Portsmouth Dockyard, not in the 1940s but February 3, 1972, with cranes still in place on the slipway. Picture: PHDTPortsmouth Dockyard, not in the 1940s but February 3, 1972, with cranes still in place on the slipway. Picture: PHDT
Portsmouth Dockyard, not in the 1940s but February 3, 1972, with cranes still in place on the slipway. Picture: PHDT

To the left is No3 Ship Shop, built in 1844 and in the background you can just make out part of the superstructure of the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle. On the right is the Prefabricating Welding Shop.

The cranes, once such a familiar site from Portsdown Hill, were all taken down in 1977, the last one demolished in October of that year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In the bottom left-hand corner is a tiny part of the massive dockyard railway system. It was always steam-hauled with a large locomotive shed, but in the early 1960s steam had given way to diesel locos which did the work until the system closed in 1979.

An advert from a 1959 Kings Theatre programme for Murrays on South Parade, Southsea.An advert from a 1959 Kings Theatre programme for Murrays on South Parade, Southsea.
An advert from a 1959 Kings Theatre programme for Murrays on South Parade, Southsea.

'¢ Remember Murrays Restaurant on South Parade,Southsea? It was just about the top place to eat in the city in its day. This advert comes from a 1959 Kings Theatre programme and I like the '˜Ring Henry on 32322'. Who was Henry?

That address is still home to a fine dining venue. It's now Restaurant 27 which has won several awards for its food.

Another advert in that programme was for The Cambridge Hotel which was always known for its long bar, probably the longest in Portsmouth. Its address was Portland Road, Southsea, but everyone knew it was at Handley's Corner. Built in 1953, the hotel later changed names to become the Town House, but like many pubs in the city it declined and was demolished in 2012 and replaced by flats.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

'¢  Last Monday I asked if anyone remembered where Victoria Crescent was. All I knew was that it was somewhere off Victoria Road North, Southsea. I received four replies, the best of which came from Richard Martin who sent me this map with the crescent marked in red.

My request for information on where Victoria Crescent once was brought four replies, the best from Richard Martin who enclosed this map.My request for information on where Victoria Crescent once was brought four replies, the best from Richard Martin who enclosed this map.
My request for information on where Victoria Crescent once was brought four replies, the best from Richard Martin who enclosed this map.

In tramway days it must have been a noisy place to live with the trams running along the sharp curves with the inside flange causing screeches.

As you can see, Rugby Road ran into the junction. The three houses to the right of Victoria Road North, above Rugby Road, have been demolished and the land is par of Priory School,

'¢ Another line about the 1977 Fleet Review which I featured over Christmas. Many Wrens acted in secretarial positions in the office alongside the waiting room on South Railway Jetty in the dockyard. Most were never seen again by Capt Gordon Walwyn and his organising team as they all went their separate ways when it was over.

In this picture we see Capt Walwyn with two unknown Wrens who worked alongside the organising team. Who were they? 

Related topics:Southsea