Portsmouth Historic Environment Record

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Portsmouth Historic Environment Record

The Portsmouth Historic Environment Record (HER) is the primary source of information relating to archaeology and historic sites in Portsmouth.

It is not possible to visit the HER in person, but we can answer enquiries by telephone or email.

16/04/2025

Portsmouth has a new Scheduled Monument!

Lumps Fort has been added to the Schedule of nationally important archaeological sites. You can view the full entry on the National Heritage List for England here https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1490402?section=official-list-entry.

Lumps Fort was constructed between 1859 and 1861 as part of a plan to strengthen Portsmouth's defences against the threat of a French invasion. The fort helped to protect the eastern seaward approach to Portsmouth and its dockyard.

Portsmouth Corporation (now Portsmouth City Council) bought Lumps Fort in 1932 although it wasn't redeveloped for recreational use until after the Second World War.

During the early part of the war underground areas of the fort were used as air raid shelters. In 1942 it was the training base for the Royal Marine Boom Patrol Detachment, otherwise known as the 'Cockleshell Heroes'.

The rose garden was laid out between 1951 and 1953 and the model village opened in 1956/7. A Japanese Garden designed by Takashi Sawano was opened on the east side of the fort to celebrate the twinning of Portsmouth with the City of Maizuru in 2000.

The Victorian fort replaced an earlier coastal battery, Lumps Farm Battery, built in 1765. The battery was abandoned due to coastal erosion, the south part having been lost to the sea by 1838.

A much earlier fortification built in 1539, Chatterton's Bulwark, is thought to have probably been located within the vicinity of Lumps Farm, which was situated slightly north-east of the present fort. However, the exact location of the bulwark is unknown.

Lumps Fort is one of 19 Scheduled Monuments in Portsmouth. You can find out more about the city's Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings and Registered Parks on the National Heritage List for England https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/.

Image: RAF post-war aerial photo of Lumps Fort

22/02/2025

This 16th century iron window grill was rescued from the King's Storehouse when it was demolished in 1963. It is now part of the Portsmouth Museum Service collection.

The window and grill are illustrated in the top left corner of a page from a survey that was carried out prior to demolition. This shows examples of types of windows that survived in a 16th century wall of the storehouse. It is noted as being the only window that had the remains of an iron grill.

21/02/2025

The King's Storehouse used to stand on the north side of King Street (now King Charles Street) in Old Portsmouth on the site of the present day Regency Court and Walton Court.

The large 234ft long building can be seen in the centre of the first image which is taken from an early 20th century aerial view of The Camber. In fact it is the only pre-war image of the building we have been able to find.

The Tudor storehouse was originally built in the early 1500s but had to be rebuilt following a fire in 1557. It was constructed from rough stone, later being encased in brick in 1775. The building was badly damaged in Second World War bombing raids and was demolished in 1963.

The second image is a drawing showing cellars beneath the storehouse made during a survey carried out prior to demolition.

Images:
Aerial view of The Camber, Portsmouth Museum Service 2003/1295
Drawing, Portsmouth Museum Service 1977/223

31/10/2024

As would be expected, many of the objects recovered from the harbour during dredging related to the Royal Navy.

This Royal Navy pearl ware mess plate features a design known as 'Morgan pattern' after the manufacturer. It dates to between c.1850 and the 1870s and was probably discarded from a passing Royal Navy ship.

The number of the mess, 'MESS No 14', has been incorporated into the central design and is surrounded by the inscription 'HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE' ('shame be to him who thinks evil of it'). The rim of the plate features naval themes including a warship, cannon and ensign.

This object is held in the Portsmouth Museum Service collection as part of the Queen Elizabeth Class Capital Dredge Project archive.

28/10/2024

This plaque from HMS Ganges is one of our favourite items from the Queen Elizabeth Class Capital Dredge Project. It was recovered from the harbour approximately 20m west of Victory Jetty (Portsmouth Dockyard).

The plaque is thought to date to between 1919 and 1976. A similar example is held by the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich as part of a collection of ship's badges.

A second elephant plaque (also shown), recovered approximately 200m further north, may also have been related to HMS Ganges. This smaller plaque had been cut from hand hammered sheet copper and had probably been made as a decoration, although its exact purpose is unknown.

The two objects are held by Portsmouth Museum Service and form part of the Queen Elizabeth Class Capital Dredge Project archive. The HMS Ganges plaque is currently on display as part of the Ocean at the End of the Lane exhibition at Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery.

24/10/2024

More from the Queen Elizabeth Class Capital Dredge Project!

Two Second World War mine cradles/sinkers were recovered from the sea bed south-west of the Hovercraft terminal.

The cradles would have been used with the British L MK II contact mine which formed part of Portsmouth's coastal defences during the war. The mines were laid by a minelayer (ship), the cradles anchoring them to the sea bed.

After the war minesweepers cut the mines free from the cradles so they could float to the surface where they were destroyed by rifle fire. The discarded cradles remained on the sea bed.

21/10/2024

A number of different types of anchor were found during the Queen Elizabeth Class Capital Dredge Project.

This mushroom anchor was recovered from the channel just north of the harbour mouth. It had probably been lost or abandoned rather than being deliberately placed in the area where it was found.

The exact function the anchor performed is not known. It has been suggested that it may have been used to secure a boom defence that was placed across the harbour during the First and Second World Wars. Mushroom anchors are known to have been used for this purpose during World War II.

An alternative suggestion is that it may have been a submarine anchor as it was found close to the site of the former HM Submarine base at Gosport.

17/10/2024

This English Falcon cannon was one of eight post-medieval cannon recovered from Portsmouth Harbour during the Queen Elizabeth Class Capital Dredge Project.

The cannon was cast in the Kent Weald by Robert Sackville 2nd Earl of Dorset between 1590 and 1605. It is thought to be part of a small number of guns Sackville cast for non-military use and was therefore almost certainly intended for service on a merchant ship. It is not known how or why the cannon ended up in the harbour.

14/10/2024

Between October 2015 and June 2017 Wessex Archaeology carried out quayside monitoring and recording of finds recovered as part of the Queen Elizabeth Class Capital Dredge Project for the new aircraft carriers.

Dredging took place within five zones in Portsmouth Harbour and the approaches to the harbour with over 1000 objects recorded.

Find spots for objects/groups of objects where a location is known have been added to the HER database. We will be taking a closer look at some of these finds in a series of posts.

The Wessex Archaeology reports for the Queen Elizabeth Class Capital Dredge Project can be viewed on the Archaeology Data Service website using the following links:

https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1188232&recordType=GreyLitSeries

https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-4066-1/dissemination/pdf/111320-05_Portsmouth_Dredge_FindsAssessment_v4_20180110_reduced.pdf

09/08/2024

We are pleased to announce that the Historic Environment Record has a brand new display which will be at Portsmouth History Centre throughout August. If you are in the city centre why not pop in to take a look and find out more about what we do.

The display is outside the History Centre on the 2nd floor of Portsmouth Central Library in Guildhall Square.

23/04/2024

As it's St George's Day we thought we'd share this George IV gold sovereign found during excavations in Oyster Street, Old Portsmouth. The coin is dated 1821 and depicts St George and the Dragon on the reverse.

05/04/2024

Another early find from Portsmouth.

This antler pick was found during excavations for the extension of Portsmouth Dockyard between 1864 and 1870. It is thought to date to around the Neolithic period (4,000BC-2001BC).

Address

Portsmouth Museum, 3 Museum Road
Portsmouth
PO12LJ

Telephone

+442392834779

Website

http://www.portsmouthmuseums.co.uk/

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