Legal Recruitment Portsmouth

Portsmouth – a song or a city?

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the county of Hampshire, and is also the name of a piece of music that Mike Oldfield wrote which reached number 3 in the UK singles chart in 1976. The city has served as one of the UK’s key naval ports for over a hundred years, and acted as a significant launching point for the D Day invasions of 1944. As a result of its strategic importance, the city became the headquarters of the Supreme Allied Commander, Dwight D Eisenhower during the Second World War. The city is also the only major UK city located on an island, known as Portsea Island.

Day Trip to Portsmouth – or stopover for the ferry?

Portsmouth is one of the most popular cities in the UK for tourists and day trippers. Unsurprisingly, given its rich naval and military history, the city boasts a famous port in its waterfront area, which in recent years has undergone significant development and refurbishment. The port provides a regular service to the nearby Isle of Wight. The city also offers three theatres with impressive architecture constructed in the Edwardian era, and a range of celebrated music venues, including the Portsmouth Pyramids Centre, The Wedgewood Rooms and the Guildhall. Each venue showcases very different styles of music, and help to encapsulate the cultural diversity of the city.

As a renowned tourist destination, Portsmouth features an excellent range of shopping experiences, and has been described as a, “shopper’s paradise”, by people who live in the area. The city boasts four main shopping districts, Gunwharf Keys, Commercial Road, Cascades Shopping Centre and Southsea. Gunwharf Quays, located nearby the harbour, is the home to over 100 first class shops and retail outlets, including many of the world’s best known and iconic fashion brands. It also has a wide range of restaurants and cafes to satisfy your appetite, chic bars to relax within and get badly needed refreshment, a state of the art bowling alley, and a modern multiplex cinema. Commercial Road is the oldest shopping area in the city, and is home to a spectacular fountain in the centre of its main street, whilst the fully enclosed Cascades Shopping Centre is located just outside the city centre and offers a unique shopping experience of its own. Finally, Southsea provides a delightfully quirky shopping alternative, bustling with independent boutiques, an open air farmer’s market, outdoor cafes, antique and crafts stalls and trendy bars and restaurants.

Housing and Living in Portsmouth

Due to its location by the sea and rich cosmopolitan culture, Portsmouth is a very desirable place to live. Whilst younger people tend to favour settling down in the city centre and nearby areas, families tend to head for the picturesque suburb of Southsea, which also contains several sort after schools. Property prices in the city range from around £47,000 for a one bedroom flat in the north end of the city, to around £400,000 for a four bedroom Victorian house in Southsea and up to £1.1 million for state of the art apartments in Gunwharf Quays which feature panoramic views of the surrounding areas and harbour.

Sports and Disaster

Portsmouth is of course home to the famous, Portsmouth FC, who have enjoyed consistent success in the top flight of football in the last few years until imploding spectacularly and ending up in the bottom division. Southampton fans seemed very sympathetic. Unsurprisingly given its location by the sea, the city enjoys a well-deserved reputation for a wide range of water-sports and activities, including, sailing and yachting. Portsmouth is also home to the recently established America’s Cup racing team, whilst the city’s rowing club is located by the Southsea seafront. Additionally, the city boasts ruby union and hockey within its extensive sports repertoire.