Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Southsea

Southsea is a very popular seaside resort in Hampshire, on the South coast.

It is part of the historic naval city of Portsmouth, on Portsea Island opposite the Isle of Wight.

Southsea Castle was built by Henry VIII in the 1540s, and it was from here that he watched his flagship the Mary Rose sink.

Southsea started to develop as a fashionable residential area in the Regency period, and became a popular seaside resort in the 1860s.

The sublime Southsea Common forms a buffer between the town centre and the seaside amusements.

South Parade Pier is a typical seaside pier, and other attractions include the D-Day Museum (which also features the Overlord Embroidery), Cumberland House Natural History Museum and the Royal Marines Museum.

Fun Acres, the largest amusement park on the South coast, is situated on Clarence Pier.

Hovercraft services to Ryde on the Isle of Wight leave from a terminal sited on the beach.

In the part of the Solent named Spithead are three forts, one of which, Spitbank Fort, is open to the public. They were constructed in the 1860s as part of the ring of defences around Portsmouth.

Blue Badge Guide Colin Crosby is available to lead Guided Walks around Southsea for groups.