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Things you probably didn't know about Portsmouth

The home of the Royal Navy for five centuries.

  1. 1982 — fact 1 of 4

    The Mary Rose surfaced after 437 years

    Henry VIII’s flagship, sunk in 1545, was raised from the Solent in 1982 in a live televised operation.

    See what 1982 was like →

  2. 1805 — fact 2 of 4

    Nelson sailed from here at Trafalgar

    HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship at Trafalgar (1805), is preserved in Portsmouth’s historic dockyard.

  3. 1812 — fact 3 of 4

    Charles Dickens was born here

    The novelist arrived at 1 Mile End Terrace (now a museum) in 1812.

  4. 1886 — fact 4 of 4

    Sherlock Holmes was conceived in Southsea

    Arthur Conan Doyle practised as a doctor in Southsea when he created the world’s most famous detective.

Our Portsmouth collection is part of a growing local-history library — more cities and facts are being added.

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