In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Portsdown like this:
PORTSDOWN, a hill and a hundred in the S E of Hants. The hill extends from the neighbourhood of Havant, 6 miles westward, to the neighbourhood of Fareham; culminates at an altitude of 447 feet; flanks allthe N side of Portsmouth harbour; commands a magnificent view to the E, the S, and the W; is crowned, at itshighest point, by a lofty obeliskal pillar, to the memory of Nelson, and serving as a land-mark to mariners approaching Spithead; consists of chalk rocks; has fortifications, constructed in 1865 and following years, addinglargely and very materially to the defences of Portsmonth and Gosport; and, at the Running Walk near Widley, has a great fair on 26, 27 and 28 July. ...
The hundred contains Bedhampton parish, and eight other parishes; and is in Fareham division. Acres, 21, 943. Pop. in 1851, 4, 547. Houses, 888.
Portsdown through time
Portsdown is now part of Portsmouth district. Click here for graphs and data of how Portsmouth has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Portsdown itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Portsdown, in Portsmouth and Hampshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20608
Date accessed: 26th April 2024
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