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Gosport has many claims to fame. For example, did you know that………
In the Good Old Days.. In 1348, the Black Death hit Gosport, killing one third of the population. During the reign of Elizabeth 1st, men were paid sixpence a day to stand at Stokes Bay and look out for Spanish invaders. During the American War of Independence, captured troops were locked-up in Gosport’s Forton Prison.
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Charles Lindbergh’s plane, the Spirit of St Louis, paid a flying visit to Gosport in 1927.
For over 200 years the Royal Clarence Victualling Yard kept the Navy fed and watered. 10,000 dry-tack biscuits could be baked here every hour. Bottoms Up.. At one time there were 70, some say 80, pubs in Gosport. Eleven of them stood in a row along Beach Street. In the 19th century press gangs would prowl the streets of Gosport. Following one dark, drunken, night 500 “recruits” sobered up to a new life in the Navy. Beach Life… In the 17th and 18th centuries, smugglers used Stokes Bay to bring ashore their illegal cargoes. In the Second World War the walls for 16 Mulberry Harbours were built on the beach at Stokes Bay. On D Day, the beaches of Stokes Bay and Lee-on-the-Solent were major embarkation points for troops setting off for Normandy. Building Society…. The Georgian Crescent at Alverstoke was meant to be semi-circular but builder Robert Cruickshank ran out of funds before he could go round the bend. The development was built as a resort to rival Brighton and Weymouth. More than half of the houses in Gosport were damaged during the Blitz. Their Royal Highnesses… Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria’s second son, stayed at Alverbank, now a hotel, when he was a pupil at the nearby Naval Academy. King Edward, as the Prince of Wales, is rumoured to have entertained his friend Lillie Langtree at Alverbank. In 1830 the 11 year old Princess Victoria, later the Queen – stayed at the Anglesey Hotel in what is now rooms 1 and 2. Literary Links…. Author Lillian Harry is from Gosport and many of her wartime novels are set in the area. Jane Austen’s brother, Admiral Sir Francis Austen was involved with building the 3rd Haslar Bridge. Her brother Charles lived in the Crescent. On Sail… Former Prime Minister Ted Heath’s boat Morning Cloud was built at Gosport. In May 2006, Gosport teacher Dee Caffari M.B.E. became the first woman sailor to circumnavigate the globe. Gosport Model Yacht and Boat Club at Walpole Lake is one of only two international sized model yachting lakes in the country. It was also the first. On a musical note…… Composer George Frideric Handel used the 18th Century organ in Holy Trinity Church. Jazz Trumpeter Nat Gonella retired to Gosport and was a member of the Gosport Jazz Club. |
