History of Portsmouth - Chronology

Chronology

• 1181 - Establishment of a chapel by Southwick Priory on the site of the current Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral.
• 1194 - Portsmouth awarded its Royal Charter
• 1212 - Establishment of docks.
• 1212 - Domus Dei the first hospital of the city built.
• 1256 - Portsmouth given permission to form a local guild of merchants.
• 1265 - Town sacked and burnt during the Second Barons' War.
• 1338 - French invaders burn down most of the town.
• 1348 - The Black Death strikes Portsmouth for the first time.
• 1426 - Portsmouth's first permanent defensive works (the Round Tower) completed.
• 1449 - Portsmouth placed under Greater Excommunication as a result of the murder of Adam Moleyns the Bishop of Chichester.
• 1495 - Britain's first dry dock built at Portsmouth.
• 1510 - Mary Rose built in Portsmouth dock yard.
• 1527 - Southsea Castle built.
• 1545 - Henry VIII sees the Mary Rose sink in the Solent from Southsea Castle
• 1561 - Britain's first state lottery funds further fortifications.
• 1563 - 300 locals die of the plague.
• 1625 - The Plague strikes Portsmouth.
• 1729 - Establishment of the Royal Naval Academy.
• 1732 - Establishment of Portsmouth Grammar School.
• 1747 - Fort Cumberland built at Eastney.
• 1760 - The modern Landport Gate built.
• 1805 - Nelson's fleet sails from Portsmouth for the Battle of Trafalgar
• 1806 - Birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel in Portsmouth.
• 1809 - The town of Southsea established.
• 1811 - Introduction of piped water into Portsmouth.
• 1812 - Birth of Charles Dickens in Portsmouth.
• 1834 - Portsmouth hit by earthquake.
• 1835 - The Municipal Reform Act of 1835 abolishes Southampton's jurisdiction of the port.
• 1861 - Clarence Pier built
• 1872 - Challenger Expedition launched from Portsmouth
• 1887 - Arthur Conan Doyle writes A Study In Scarlet in which Sherlock Holmes makes his first appearance at 1 Bush Villas, Elm Grove, Southsea, Portsmouth.
• 1890 - Portsmouth Town Hall built.
• 1898 - Portsmouth F.C., the city's principal football club was founded.
• 1925 - Peter Sellers born in Castle Road, Southsea, Portsmouth
• 1926 - Portsmouth elevated to city status.
• 1929 - Portsmouth F.C. play their first FA Cup Final but lose 2-0 to Bolton Wanderers
• 1932 - Portsmouth Airport opens.
• 1939 - Portsmouth F.C. win FA Cup for the first time
• 1941 - Large areas of the city destroyed in air raids.
• 1944 - Southsea Beach and Portsmouth Harbour used as embarkation points for the D-Day landings invasion force.
• 1949 - Portsmouth F.C. crowned Champions of England for the first time.
• 1950 - Portsmouth F.C. crowned Champions of England for the second time.
• 1966 - The Tricorn Centre opened.
• 1966 - HMS Andromeda is the last warship launched at Portsmouth Royal Dockyard.
• 1968 - Alec Rose completes his single-handed circumnavigation of the globe in Portsmouth Harbour
• 1971 - Portsmouth Airport closes after a series of accidents.
• 1974 - Portsmouth becomes a local government district within the county of Hampshire.
• 1976 - The M275 motorway linking southern Portsmouth with the M27 and A27 opens
• 1991 - The nave of Portsmouth's Anglican cathedral completed.
• 1992 - The University of Portsmouth gained university status.
• 1994 - Portsmouth was the start and end point for a stage of the Tour de France.
• 1997 - City of Portsmouth becomes a unitary authority.
• 1998 - Portsmouth hosts the second International Festival of the Sea.
• 1999 - Milan Mandarić saves Portsmouth F.C. from administration
• 2000 - Portsmouth suffers flooding due to failure of the emergency water drainage system during heavy rainfall.
• 2001 - MyTV (later renamed PortsmouthTV) launched.
• 2001 - Gunwharf Quays opened.
• 2001 - Portsmouth hosts the third International Festival of the Sea
• 2003 - The Spinnaker Tower, construction begins.
• 2003 - Portsmouth F.C. enters the Premier League for the first time.
• 2004 - The Tricorn Centre demolished, with its last shops closed in 2002.
• 2005 - Portsmouth hosts the International Fleet Review and fifth International Festival of the Sea
• 2005 - The Spinnaker Tower opened on October 18.
• 2006 - The launch of HMS Clyde (P257) marks the return of shipbuilding to the city.
• 2008 - Portsmouth F.C. win FA Cup for the second time.
• 2010 - Portsmouth F.C. enters administration due to mounting debts.