Figure 1.--We have loaded a photograph of South Sea in 1910. Notice all the different outfits the children wear and the activites involved. This is a fantastic scene. Its like one of those paitings you look at and keep finding a human story in the detail. Look for a boy riding his tricycle. Boys walking with mum playing king of the castle on the cannon. (And the sign saying that children are prohibited from climbing on the cannon.) This cannon is still there today.Boys are up to all sorts of things. Two are digging on the beach. Have a look and see what stories I have missed. About the only thing they aren't doing is swimming. The small image here does not do justice to the image. Click on it and see what you can find in a much lrger version. Unlike most HBC images, we are loading this as a large impage you can investigate, so it will take a while to load.

Southsea is a beachresort in Hampshire adjacent to Portsmouth on the English Channel. Southsea is often referred to as if it is a town adjacent to Portsmouth when it is, in fact, part of the City of Portsmouth. A reader tells us, "This may have come about for snobbish reasons, Southsea tries to be very select!" In addition to the beach there is a notable castle built by Henry VIII (1544) before the idea of bathing had caught the public's fancy. Southsea Castle was one of a series of fortifications built by Henry to protect the English coast from from foreign invaders. Notably Henry's flagship, the Mary Rose sank in view of the Castle. The only major military action fought in the Castle occurred during the Civil War. Parliamentarian forces besiged and captured the Castle. It is now one of the major actractions of Southsea. Southsea beach is mostly shingle and slopes quite rapidly into the sea. The seafront is one of the most popular recreation areas in Portsmouth area. The beach extends along the whole southern end of Portsea Island from Old Portsmouth to Eastney. Adjacent to the beach and seafront promenade is Southsea Common, an extensive open space. It was once a military preserve but is now used for kite flying, picnics and informal ball games. We have loaded a photograph of South Sea in 1910. Notice all the different outfits the children wear and the activites involved. This is a fantastic scene. Its like one of those paitings you look at and keep finding a human story in the detail. Look for a boy riding his tricycle. Boys walking with mum playing king of the castle on the cannon. (And the sign saying that children are prohibited from climbing on the cannon.) This cannon is still there today.Boys are up to all sorts of things. Two are digging on the beach. Have a look and see what stories I have missed. About the only thing they aren't doing is swimming. A Dutch reader writes, "This is a wonderful picture indeed. A beautiful summer day at the seaside. Poor people actually, covered up from head to toe. Not a swimming suit in sight, or even an uncovered arm or leg! As a document how life was at that time, it's priceless! HBC is such a invaluable site for social history."

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Created: 4:03 AM 10/28/2005
Last updated: 10:11 PM 1/13/2007