STAYCATIONS IN THE UK

The United Kingdom is rich in history and geographic diversity.  I believe we don't truly appreciate the beauty of our own country - probably because the weather is so unpredictable.  However, this year we have both taken mini breaks (in addition to our trips to try and find some sunshine) to take advantage of what we have to offer on home turf.

While we have both enjoyed trips to Italy earlier this year, Anne C headed south with her family to Portsmouth for a long weekend.

The reason for this was to visit the Naval Dockyard,Naval Dockyard, which houses the iconic Mary Rose, HMS Victory and HMS Warrior.

Those of us old enough to remember the raising of the Mary Rose - the flagship of King Henry V111's fleet in 1987 watched in awe as the ship, which had rested on the sea bed in The Solent for more than 400 years, was lifted from its watery grave and gently transported to its new home." We last visited Portsmouth around 20 years ago when the ship was being patiently sprayed with a mixture of wax and water to preserve what was left of her. We had vowed to return when the restoration was complete." She said.

The Mary Rose

The remains of the Mary Rose

The new museum now houses a stunning array of artefacts, painstakingly restored and displayed with the history of each piece.  While only half of the original ship remains - the half that was preserved in the embedded in the silt (the other half had rotted away under the relentless tides), the museum has replicated the other half to show what it would have looked like.

It is still carefully monitored, however, in a climate controlled environment with special subdued lighting depicting sunrise, daytime and sunset.

Photo above is of the skeleton of an archer, while the picture below shows a reconstruction of how he would have looked .  To note the hands, feet and some ribs have been added in silicone as there were no original bones.

Of the thousands of bones collected, specialists created 179 full bodies, although more than 500 men were aboard.  While it is impossible to know their names, other than that of the captain Sir George Carew and a commander of soldiers, Roger Grenville, experts have reconstructed faces from skeletons, even determining from where they originated based on isotopes in the teeth, sulfur, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen values in the bones.  

Reconstructions have identified the ship's cook, a carpenter and one of the archers based on tools and equipment found near the remains, but also by analysing muscles and teeth. They have even reconstructed the ship's dog, Hatch (below), which is probably the most complete skeleton.  His remains were trapped between several chests, near the hatch (hence the name) which shielded him and prevented the bones dispersing.  

HMS Victory

But the site also houses the second HMS Victory, another flagship vessel launches in 1765, some 200 years after the Mary Rose.  She didn't suffer the same fate as the Mary Rose, or indeed her predecessor, also called HMS Victory, and remains largely as she did almost 300 years ago.  It is interesting to see the design changes during that time.  

"Yes I stood on the spot where Nelson fell during the Battle of Trafalgar against the French - marked by a brass plaque on the floor, though he died later in the sick quarters, and his body was preserved in brandy  (not rum because the it was the sailors' tipple - for which they were each given half a pint a day!) before being interred in St Paul's Cathedral in London." Said Anne.

The portrait of Nelson's lover, Lady Emma Hamilton, which hung by his bed.  Both were married to other people at the time of his death - the Vice Admiral to Frances Herbert Woolward and Emma to Lord William Hamilton.                                                           

The spot where Admiral Nelson fell after being hit - but he died after he was taken below decks.

Many of the saying we use today have their heritage in sailing.  "Three square meals a day" comes from the fact that the men were all well fed and food was served on square wooden platters. "Long shot" was when a shot over a great distance made an impact.  "Feeling blue" was when a captain or officer died at sea, the crew would fly a blue flat and paint a blue band along the ship's hull.  "Taken aback" was describing when the wind blew the sails of a ship flat, or back against the supporting structure.  "Toe the line" was for Royal Navy inspections where their bare feet had to line up with the seams of the planks.

Nelson's bed on board HMS Victory

The ship carried 821men, 51 of whom were killed in battle, 11 died of their wounds and 91 were wounded and survived.  The enormous ships anchor needed 260 men to haul up the anchor, which weighed up to 10 tons and could take up to six hours.  I mention all of these facts because it is almost unbelievable how hard life must have been on board ship, and how brave and courageous those early sailors were.

HMS Warrior

Next on the list was HMS Warrior, a steam-powered, armour plated ship which actually had very similar living quarters to the Victory below decks.  She was built in 1859, but was converted into an oil jetty in 1927, where she remained until 1979.

Said Anne: "It's true to say that I have always been fascinated by history, and coming from a military family, was surrounded by memorabilia from an early age.  But even for someone not interested in the nuts and bolts, seeing how the men lived below decks and defended our shores is fascinating."

There are lots of quizzes and things for the children to look out for if you're going with the family.  And there's even a mini sailing lagoon.

The rest of the weekend away was a disappointment to say the least.  The weather turned rainy - what a surprise - and we spent a wet and miserable final day at nearby Southsea. Had it been a nice day, we might have enjoyed a day on the beach, but British seasides in the rain are depressing, unless you enjoy amusement arcades and pubs (sorry I don't). We did visit the small Aquarium to get out of the rain, and there is also a nearby WW11 museum.  

Other things to do in Portsmouth include the Gun Wharf Quays shopping outlet (I wasn't allowed to go there!) and the Spinacre Tower (I hate heights!) Or take a boat ride around the harbour.

I won't recommend our hotel.  We had deliberately booked a cheap and cheerful hotel to rest our weary heads, since we had planned to be out during the day.  I won't mention it, but suffice to say it wasn't that cheap and definitely not cheerful, though the bed was comfortable, and the water hot.

However, we did meet up with a lovely young couple we met on holiday last year in Santorini, who took us to their local favourite cafe for brunch. Hopefully we will meet up in Greece again later this year.