We take a look back at Portsmouth in the 1920s and 1930s with this riveting selection of old photos.
Leading the way is a picture from Southsea Beach. It is hard to imagine our city's beach areas ever being this busy today, but this is a scene of a packed Southsea beach in the 1930s right next to South Parade Pier.
The 1920s was a transformative era, featuring scenes of a rapidly changing city, the growth of Cosham, and the milestone achievement of city status in 1926. Archived images showcase Old Portsmouth, the dockyard, and bustling streets before the Second World.
See pictures below from this incredible era.
9. Portsmouth in the 1920s
St John’s Cathedral - the Roman Catholic Cathedral in the 1920s. The road outside is now known as Bishop Crispian Way but was previously known as part of Edinburgh Road before it was renamed in 2011 to honor Bishop Crispian Hollis in 2011 upon his retirement after 22 years of service as the seventh Bishop of Portsmouth. Photo: The News archive
10. Portsmouth in the 1920s
Wadhams of Castle Road, Southsea in the1920s. Even today, Castle Road has retained its historic charm. Photo: The News archive
11. Portsmouth in the 1920s
International law delegates from around the world gathered in Portsmouth for a conference in the 1920s. Here we see them on the very recognisable Guildhall steps in Guildhall Square. Photo: The News archive
12. Portsmouth in the 1920s
Portsmouth’s first 10 motor buses, shown here arriving outside the town hall in July 1919, were J-type Thornycrofts engineered at Basingstoke and with bodies made by Wadham Bros of Waterlooville. They were in service for about a decade across the 1920s, but the solid tyres, stiff suspension and rough roads so damaged their bodywork that by about 1926 they were refitted with second hand bodies from older London buses. Photo: The News archive