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Southern England
From London we hired a car and set off to see some of the countryside.
The first leg of the journey took us south from London through Surrey and West Sussex. We had relatives to visit in Chichester and Bosham. We stopped off in Chichester and enjoyed a wander around town.
The Chichester area has been settled for over 2000 years so has a variety of architectural influences on display. Nearby Fishbourne Roman Palace is one of many sites in England where the country's Roman heritage is on display. The Roman ingenuity with heating and mosaic flooring can be seen here. Chichester Cathedral is typical of most English cathedrals which were constructed over many centuries. 2008 is the 900th anniversary of the consecration of the site.
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The southern coast of England has many quaint harbours - just near Chichester is the village of Bosham.
Bosham has a long history. Some of its more famous links include:
- The birthplace/burial of the last Saxon king of England. (Harold)
- Harold sailed to Normandy from here in 1064.
- Bosham Church and King Harold are featured in the Bayeux Tapestry.
- King Canute lived here around 1020 (he moved his throne down to the harbour and commanded "the waves to turn back" to show his subjects that he was a mere mortal).
- King Canute's daughter drowned in the millstream and is buried in the church.
The Bosham church is probably the most well-known Saxon church in England.
Bosham is built on one of the inlets of Chichester Harbour and at high tide part of the Shore Road is covered by the water.
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Continuing West about 20 miles and you will reach Portsmouth, the home of the Royal Navy.
On the western side of Portsmouth harbour is the remains of Portchester Castle. It was originally a Roman fort built late in the 3rd Century AD. Henry I built a castle here in 1120. The castle is maintained by English Heritage and the audio tour is included in the admission price.
The Portsmouth area has a long history. Some of the highlights are:
- Portchester was the original settlement (approx 491 BC).
- The Romans developed the area as a naval station approximately 286 AD.
- Portsmouth became the home of the navy after Alfred the Great's victory over Danish invaders in 897 AD.
- During the Hundred Years War with France, English invasion forces departed from Portsmouth.
- In Henry VIII's time, The Mary Rose sank in the harbour in 1545 during an attack by the French fleet.
- Lord Nelson left from here in HMS Victory for the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 (against Napoleon).
- Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812.
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Portsmouth is the birthplace of Charles Dickens. If you are interested in literature, you will be able to visit places frequented by your favourite British writers - a little research should allow you to pinpoint the main locations for your author.
We really enjoyed our visit to Southern England. We then set off for Western England....
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