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Portsmouth Leasing

Did You Know?

Ayers Rock in Australia, also known as Uluru, was named after Portsmouth native Sir Henry Ayers in 1873. The son of a dockyard worker, he emigrated to Australia, and was the premier of South Australia for a record five years running.

Are you a fan of musicals? Then you might be excited to know that some of the 2012 adaptation of Les Misérables, starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe, was filmed in Portsmouth. The ‘Look Down’ scene and song was filmed at Portsmouth harbour.

Portsmouth’s nickname is Pompey, and the origins of this nickname are much disputed. Some say it was the slurred pronunciation of Portsmouth by drunken sailors; other attribute it to the captured French ship La Pompee which was captured in Portsmouth in 1793.

Portsmouth was the birthplace of Charles Dickens, one of the UK’s most famous writers and author of Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol. The city was later included in his novel Nicholas Nickelby. It was also featured in the Jane Austen novel Mansfield Park.

Portsmouth is the only city in the UK with a population density greater than that of London: more than 200,000 people live in the city, which covers 15.54 square miles. As one of the UK’s most prominent ports, it has been a significant naval port for centuries, and is home to the world’s oldest dry dock.

It’s thought there are at least seven other cities with the same name, all in the United States. Portland, Ohio, New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Rhode Island and an abandoned fishing village in North Carolina all have their own Portsmouth.

As one of the UK’s most prominent ports, Portsmouth has been a significant naval port for centuries, and is home to the world’s oldest dry dock. Portsmouth Harbour also processes 100 per cent of the UK’s Jersey potatoes, 100 per cent of the UK’s Moroccan citrus fruits and 70 per cent of the UK’s bananas.

Hollywood star and Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger once lived in Portsmouth and was even a member of Southsea gym. Helena Bonham Carter is the great-great-granddaughter of John Bonham Carter, who was MP for Portsmouth from 1816 to 1838. Comedian and actor Peter Sellers was born in Southsea, he even made his stage debut at the Kings Theatre at just two weeks old, with his parents who performed in a touring variety act.

Portsmouth appears on the oldest surviving route map of Great Britain. The Gough Map, which dates from about 1360, shows 600 towns and cities with Portsmouth labelled “Portis Mouth” and represented by a single red-roofed building.

The Gosport Ferry has existed for centuries and back in 1809 it was simply a double-ended rowing boat named a ‘Wherry’. This is in stark contrast to the large ferry boats which carry 297 passengers between Gosport and Portsmouth today.