After picking up a hire car in Brighton we headed for Portsmouth. Who needs an Aston Martin when you can travel deluxe in a Fiat Bambino?
On the way to Portsmouth we stopped off at Arundel Castle, which is the family home of the Duke of Norfolk. The castle is still occupied by the current Duke and his family and ironically they are very staunch Catholics! In the castle there are lots of paintings, sculptures and photos of former popes.
We spent another day driving to Fovant, Sutton-Mandeville, Larkhill and Hurdcott.
These are places mentioned in Grandfie Dwyer's World War I service record. Fovant is particularly famous for a collection of military badges carved into the chalk hills by soldiers who were stationed there before they were sent to France. Only a small number of the badges have survived, including this one of the rising sun. I had to stand on the Bambino to get this next shot as they are a fair way from the road.
If you're interested there is more information about the badges at www.fovantbadges.com
Ironically I figured out afterwards that the place where we parked in Larkhill to get a coffee (which you can see in the photo of the Bambino and which is known as the Packway) is roughly where the WWI military camp would have been when Grandfie was stationed there in 1917.
On the way back back to Portsmouth we got stuck in a traffic jam. We soon realised it was because one of the access roads to Stonehenge had been closed. Needless to say we gave the site a miss, but this blurry photo (which I took from inside the car while we were driving) proves that we did see it.
A trip to Portsmouth is not complete without a visit to the Historic Dockyard. On the way to the Dockyard we found a statue dedicated to the 'mud larks'. The name mud lark was given to children who searched for coins that people tossed into the mud. This is where the phrase 'larking about' comes from.
There are two main attractions at the Dockyard. One is HMS Victory and the other is the Mary Rose. The Victory was the flag ship of the Royal Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Lord Nelson, the Admiral of the fleet, was shot and killed on its deck during the battle. Captain Hardy told Nelson not to go on deck in full uniform as he would be a target - sadly he was right! Although the ship looks quite big in this photo, it certainly wasn't big enough for a crew of 820! The Victory is still an operational ship, with a captain and crew even though it's permanently in dry dock.
This photo of the Mary Rose was taken through a window because what remains of Henry VIII's ship is in a completely sealed chamber for preservation purposes. The preservation work they have done is unbelievable! After raising the ship from the sea floor in 1982 she was sprayed with fresh water for 12 years to get rid of all the sediment, salt and microbes. After that, she was sprayed for almost 19 years with polyethylene glycol which is a type of wax that penetrates the timber to stop it from drying out and splitting. Currently the ship is in a 5 year drying phase which is expected to remove about 100 tonnes of water. During the recovery and restoration process some amazing artefacts were found and these are also on display along with personal stories of the crew. The exhibit is a must see when in Portsmouth!
PS. In case you're wondering, the Mary Rose was built in 1512 and sank in 1545 in a battle against the French. She was discovered in 1971 in the strait between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. That makes her just over 500 years old.
This is us cruising Portsmouth harbour - not quite 500 years old!
One of the most fun things we did while in Portsmouth was to watch a local football (soccer) match. The Portsmouth team (in royal blue) is solely owned by the fans. The club was swindled out of all its money and the supporters got together and bought shares in the team to keep them playing in the Premier league. It's a real credit to the fans and the players who obviously just love the game. The singing was also great - "Play up Pompey. Pompey, play up"!
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