Historic pictures of Old Portsmouth | Nostalgia

By Chris Owen
Published 2nd Sep 2020, 16:35 GMT
Updated 3rd Sep 2020, 11:15 GMT

Point was once the most disreputable area of Portsmouth with its heady mix of press gangs, whores and drunks.

Fall asleep over your beer there and the chances were you would wake up on warship 20 miles out to sea.

The old Still and West pub at Point, Old Portsmouth. It used to open at 4am so fishermen at the fish market could get a drink. Picture: Ray Butcher collection.placeholder image
The old Still and West pub at Point, Old Portsmouth. It used to open at 4am so fishermen at the fish market could get a drink. Picture: Ray Butcher collection.

Now it’s been gentrified as Old Portsmouth, but there are times when that historic atmosphere returns.

There are 26 further pictures in our Point and Spice Island gallery. To see them, click here.

The floating bridge that ran from Point, Old Portsmouth, across the harbour to Gosport. On the left would be Broad Street leading down to Point. Looking out into the harbour you can see HMS Victory afloat so we know this picture was taken before 1922. Picture: Ray Butcher collection.placeholder image
The floating bridge that ran from Point, Old Portsmouth, across the harbour to Gosport. On the left would be Broad Street leading down to Point. Looking out into the harbour you can see HMS Victory afloat so we know this picture was taken before 1922. Picture: Ray Butcher collection.

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