Old Portsmouth

Old Portsmouth is where Portsmouth started and it now houses many historic buildings. In 1704 royal permission was given to build houses near to the dockyard, this was known as Portsmouth Common although in 1792 it was changed to Portsea. This new suburb soon outgrew the original town, which became known as Old Portsmouth. Another name for the area of Old Portsmouth is Spice Island, as it is where all the spices used to enter the city.

Old Portsmouth is located in the Southwest corner of Portsea Island, it is the area surrounded by the red dotted line on the map above.

There are many attractions for visitors in Old Portsmouth for example:

• The Spur Redoubt - this is a small fort located away from all the other fortifications in Portsmouth. It was built by Sir Bernard de Gomme in 1680 and is the point where Nelson left Portsmouth to join the Victory for the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. This would make for a good photograph as it is both a beautiful and historical place. It would also shows the sunset in the background if you were there at he right time.
• The George Hotel - this is where is where Nelson would stay, he would sneak out of the back door to avoid crowds who would gather to bid him farewell.
• The Hot Walls - these were used for people to wave goodbye to a Navel personnel as the embarked on a tour of duty or to welcome those returning. Although now it used by many members of the public for dangerous diving. This attraction would make a good photograph as it, too is both historic and beautiful, it would be good to gather some models to act out waving at a boat.
• Portsmouth Cathedral - this attraction is surrounded by history, it was built in 1180 although it has been rebuilt and changed a few times the most recent being in 1991. It was closed in 1449 when the Bishop of Chichester was murdered and opened again in 1591. This attraction would make an amazing photograph as there is a lot happening around it and there are many small details in and outside the Cathedral that would make great close ups.

I have research some existing photography of Old Portsmouth and amongst the ones I have seen I think these are the nicest.

 I chose this one because I think it captures and peacefulness and tranquility of the sea although you can still see there is life there as there are people walking in the background. I like the way the clouds sit just above the horizon all in one space. I will use this photograph as inspiration for my own Old Portsmouth photography and attempt to capture the tranquility of a beautiful place in one photograph.

 I chose this photograph because I like the way the photographer has managed to create a shot completely free of people. I like the way the photographer has caught the 'Portsmouth Cathedral' sign in the photograph as it points out what your photograph is of and it makes it seem more realistic. I think the contrast between the dark and dirty bricks and fresh green grass makes the photograph much stronger and I will use this as inspiration towards my own photographs in Old Portsmouth.

I chose this photograph as it is very different from a lot of the others I have seen and it really stood out to me. I like the use of a monkey in the photograph, I thought it seemed very childish at first, however the more I looked at it I realized that that might be the angle the photographer was trying to get. The photograph jumped out at me more than others I had seen which means the photographer had reached his goal. I will use this element of random surprise which captures audiences attention as inspiration for my own Old Portsmouth photographs.