Gosport: Then and Now Postcards from Gosport and a few from Portsmouth

Author: Phil Hewitt

Gosport: Then and Now Postcards from Gosport and a few from Portsmouth

Postcards From Gosport… And A Few From Portsmouth is the story of the rich past which has brought us Gosport’s fast-changing present.
It’s the story of a small fishing village in the shadow of Portsmouth which developed to become a major naval and military base in its own right. The story of a town where pressgangs roamed, the ale flowed freely, new holiday resorts were created and railways came and went. And now, as a new century dawns, it’s the story of a town evolving yet again as the naval and military bases disappear.
In this book, historic images and current views are juxtaposed to show the ways in which Gosport has sometimes stood still and sometimes altered almost beyond recognition.
There can’t be many towns the size of Gosport without a theatre, a cinema or a railway station. Landmark buildings were destroyed during the war, the trains have departed, the pier has long since gone, and the vast naval hospital at Haslar has closed.
But Stokes Bay, which played a key role in the build-up to D-Day, remains an attractive coastal sweep; new industries have arrived; and much attractive architecture has survived.
With more than a hundred images, Postcards From Gosport offers a visual feast for anyone interested in social or military history. Completing the story, a number of images of Portsmouth then and now hint at a history which complements Gosport’s in so many ways.
Through its succession of paired images, the book brings past and present alive to offer a captivating portrait of a town with a fascinating story to tell.
Phil has based the book on the extensive collection of historic Gosport postcards belonging to his father Graham who has lived in Gosport all his life and was Mayor of the borough from 1974-76.