Southsea 30 September 2007

Canoe Lake, Southsea on a drizzly day at the end of September	There's nothing more depressing than a seaside resort out of season and the season seems to finish at the end of September. Add to that the fact it's a Sunday morning and most places probably don't open until midday.	Canoe Lake, featuring a couple of solitary swans.	The pleasant park by the Canoe Lake. One of Southsea's most attractive aspects is the quality and quantity of parks and gardens along the seafront.	A derelict hut by the Canoe Lake
Canoe Lake park	A secret gathering of the world road sign convention	Southsea Rose Garden, a splendid riot of colours and all immaculately tended.	The Rose Garden	The Rose Garden is located inside the remains of Lumps Fort one of many fortifications around the Portsmouth area
Also within Lumps Fort is a very good Model Village, the minature castle on the hill is the only part of it that can be seen from outside	Entrance to the Rose Garden	Outside the Rose Garden	Southsea seafront (looking East), the zig-zag paving pattern has been a fixture of almost the entire length of the promenade for well over 20 years. Southsea is let down as a resort by the lack of a sandy beach.	Looking West from the same viewpoint as the previous photo, the South Parade Pier can clearly be seen here
The Isle Of Wight and one of the four sea forts that used to guard Portsmouth Harbour. This is apparantly the most expensive piece of water to cross in the world!	The Model Village	Car park and Model Village	Entrance to the Model Village	This cafe has been derelict for ages
Just look at the vintage Granada TV style typeface on the Ices and Swees signs!	South Parade Pier is Southsea's closest example of a 'proper' pier although it is still very short compared with most seaside piers. The buildings date from the 1970s as the original structures were burned down during the shooting of the film "Tommy"	The South Parade Pier's canopy could do with the serices of a glazier	View East from South Parade Pier	Looking towards the Canoe Lake and derelict cafe from the South Parade Pier
Looking West from the South Parade Pier, another one of the forts can be seen here while to the right are the green roofs of the Pyramids swimming centre	South Parade Pier. Beyond the pier along the promenade are a series of seedy looking nightclubs	Talking of seedy nightclubs...	The South Parade Pier	These Rock Gardens along the seafront are fabulous and a really nice place to escape the hustle and bustle
The Rock Gardens	This used to be a nightclub...despite the fact that it is younger than I am, the Pyramids complex is rumoured to be under serious consideration of closure	Rock Gardens	Southsea Castle	Southsea Sk8 Park (as the users of this facility would call it)
Gardens in front of the Castle	The D-Day Museum	The coastline	Clarence Pier is one of the UK's shortest piers - is doesn't extend out to sea very much but instead runs along the coast! This building at the main entrance to it is one of the best examples of 50s retro seaside architecture there is - brightly coloured, gaudy, eyecatching. It is unique.	The Clarence Pier pavillion houses a large amusement arcade and a new mini 'Casino' while upstairs there is a Wimpy bar offering panoramic views across the double-height amusement space below
The other end of the pavillion. The amusement arcade is actually one big space although it looks like it is split in two. The right hand side of it is only single height. Unfortunately, there is no public access to the tower. To the right of the building is the Skyways roller coaster which has been there for years but still a good ride.	A smaller amusement arcade perpindicular to the other one. The upper floor used to feature an indoor dinsosaur themed track ride (hence the 'Jurassic 3000' sign) which has been closed for years. To the right are typical seaside stalls	Clarence Pier tower	Crazy Golf and the rear of the Wheel O Fortune building	Amusements and the strange hyperbolic paraboloid roof of part of the Clarence Pier pavillion. I have no idea what the structure was intended to be.
Clarence Pier pavillion	The water flume and Skyways coaster	The Eastern end of Clarence pavillion showing off its jaunty angles and very 60s colour scheme	The Eastern end of Clarence Pier, showing the tower and roller coaster. The amusement park now only occupies the Southern side of the path shown here, until the mid 1990s, it was twice the size and occupied part of the Northern side as well. The long closed Northern part used to contain a ferris wheel and ghost train among other attractions but has now been replaced by a dreary hotel and gastropub	These flats in Old Portsmouth are an excellent example of 1950s architecture, particularly the blue and white tiles near the entrance and the staircase.
High rise housing old and new - a 60s tower block peeks over the top of luxury apartments in the huge Gunwharf Quays complex	Gunwharf Quays always seems to be the wrong scale to me - too big, perhaps slightly overpowering, not on a human scale	This part of Gunwharf Quays is a very nice public space and they even saved an old crane to add to the scene	Brunel House, a high rise office block overlooking The Hard. This place has been derelict for years, surely it could be done up and converted into luxury apartments with a panoramic view of the harbour?	This large Odeon-style signalbox near Portsmouth Harbour station most definitely turns its back on the surroundings although I'm not sure whether the bricked up windows were an original feature or a later addition
Brunel House. Isambard must be turning in his grave.	The rear of Brunel House, showing where vandals have gained entry	Brunel House	Two boarded up pubs on The Hard. You would have thought the proximity to the ferry terminal, railway station and historic dockyard would have made these popular but obviously not. There are also a couple of other derelict pubs in the same row.	HMS Victory
Portsmouth Harbour	Even Gosport has been tarted up with luxury marinas and suchlike	Two Isle Of Wight ferries and the landmark Gosport tower blocks which are in the process of being spruced up.	Various ferries and the harbour exit	The Hard
HMS Victory	Portsmouth Harbour	Portsmouth Harbour	HMS Victory	IOW ferries
The Spinnaker Tower	Gosport's marinas	The Gosport Ferry	Gosport Ferry ticket office	Gosport Bus Station and a redundant mine masquerading as a charity box
Gosport Bus Station	A closed fish and chip shop and a Chinese restaurant displaying another example of the Granada TV typeface	A very austere Post War pub	This parade of shops has seen better days. It's a shame, the Electro-Trade shop had been there for years	One of Gosport's tower blocks. These seem to change colour every few years but the new scheme is a definite improvement over the lurid green hues that recently graced them.
Civic architecture in Gosport	Back to Clarence Pier, the funfair is actually open now!	Southsea Common	Southsea Common	Queen's Hotel, Southsea
Unbeknown to most, Southsea boasts its own very credible shopping area (tucked well away from the seafront) which has two department stores	Southsea shops, a typical selection of Postwar retail architecture	Southsea's main shopping street	More shops	The Knight & Lee department store is a great example of the traditional British department store although it is now owned by the John Lewis Partnership
Knight & Lee boasts some excellent mosaic patterns.	The Natwest Bank has made their 1950s building loook almost new, showing what can be done with a little bit of effort.	This is the ugly side of 1960s architecture, these flats look as though the builders couldn't be bothered to clad the exterior.

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