Portsmouth in 1945, viewed from the air.

The National Library of Scotland has made over 6,000 digitised air photo mosaics available that show detailed information on the landscape of wartime England and Wales in the 1940s. These complement the Scottish air photo mosaics that have been available online since 2009. Selected towns and cities are shown at larger scales, including Portsmouth. A handful of original air photo mosaics for parts of Portsmouth are available to view in the Map Library, which show clearly the damage sustained by the city during the Second World War.

The Near and Far World Books collection of illustrated children’s books is inspiring, and it certainly inspired the A-level students from Havant and South Downs College, whose work is currently displayed beside the books that inspired them.

Portsmouth’s now-demolished Tricorn Centre, once voted Britain’s ugliest building, has been honoured in an online tribute to Britain’s lost 20th century architecture. From The Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth to Birmingham Central Library, a project has been launched that illustrates ten …

Sketching the past: commemorating 20th century architecture Read more »

It was certainly one of those WOW moments: when he found something wonderful he wasn’t really expecting.  “I was in Portsmouth Central Library”, principal lecturer Dr. George Burrows tells me, “trying to find something historic about music and Portsmouth I …

Rediscovering the “Pompey Messiah” Read more »

New Theatre Royal presents “Travels with my Aunt”.  New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth is excited to present Travels with my Aunt by Graham Greene from 10-12 October.  Watch four actors take on over 20 characters in a funny and frantic dash around the world …

Travels with my Aunt at New Theatre Royal Read more »

I’ve just got back from exploring the Ken Norrish Architecture Collection at the Portsmouth History Centre in the Central Library. An eclectic mix of books, which the book plates inside explain were donated by his wife Georgette Norrish, “To inspire architects.” …

Ken Norrish Architecture Collection Read more »

The Seven Basic Plots: why we tell stories by Christopher Booker I chose this book as Creative Arts Book of the Week because I have stockpiled this title in my own library at home and if I don’t remind myself …

Creative Arts Book of the Week 27/03/15 Read more »