In the city of Portsmouth, in the historic county of Hampshire in southern England

 "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair." -- Charles Dickens

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(in the historic county of Hampshire in southern England) The history of Hampshire is regal and rich. Kings Alfred the Great, Knut, and William the Conqueror all based their reigns in its ancient cathedral city of Winchester, whose historic buildings sit in the center of undulating chalk downs. The county's coast is awash with heritage, too -- in Portsmouth (featured here) you can clamber aboard the pride of Nelson's navy, HMS Victory, and wonder at the Mary Rose (Henry VIII's flagship), before wandering wharfs buzzing with restaurants, shops, and bars. (Hampshire's southwestern corner claims the open heath and woods of the New Forest National Park).

+ The city of Portsmouth -- a major naval base and (with Southsea) a popular holiday resort -- lies on Portsea Island, a narrow peninsula that separates two inlets of the English Channel: Portsmouth Harbor to the west and Langstone Harbor to the east. Portsmouth’s naval base and Royal Dockyard occupy the southwestern part of the peninsula, and Southsea lies on the peninsula’s southern tip. Portsmouth Harbor widens inward, with Portsmouth on the east shore and Gosport on the west. The harbor opens out into Spithead, which is the eastern end of The Solent -- the channel that separates the English mainland from the Isle of Wight. Portsea Island’s great location, commanding two of the finest anchorages along England’s southern coast, helped make Portsmouth the country’s main naval base for many centuries.

+ Portsmouth owes its origin to the retreat of the sea from the earlier settlement of Portchester at the head of Portsmouth Harbor. No town existed at the site until 1194, when the strategic importance of Portsea Island induced King Richard I to build a settlement here and to grant it a charter, fair, and market. The city is governed by a royal charter of 1627, modified by later municipal acts. Portsmouth suffered severe aerial bombing damage during World War II, and substantial rebuilding took place in the postwar decades.

+ The tourist trade, which is centered mainly on Southsea, is of great importance to the city’s economy. Tourism is also important for the area’s ports, which are bases for sailing to France. The flagship of Lord Nelson at the (1805) Battle of Trafalgar, HMS Victory, lies in the dockyard, as do the 19th-century HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose, the latter from Henry VIII’s navy; nearby is the Royal Navy Museum. The Guildhall, which was seriously damaged in World War II, reopened in 1959; it serves as civic headquarters, concert hall, and conference hall. Other notable buildings include a 12th-century cathedral, Southsea Castle, and the birthplace of Charles Dickens.