Portsea, Portsmouth

Portsea

Closeup map of Portsea Island
Portsea
Geography
Location	Solent
Coordinates	50°47′33″N 1°05′31″W / 50.79243°N 1.09194°W / 50.79243; -1.09194
Administration
England
County	Hampshire
City	Portsmouth
Demographics
Population	207,100 (2010)

Portsea Island is a small, flat and low-lying island just off the south coast of England. The island is totally within, and contains a large proportion of, the city of Portsmouth. The third largest by population of any island in the British Isles after the mainlands of Great Britain and Ireland, it has the highest population density.

To the east lies Langstone Harbour, and to the west is Portsmouth Harbour. To the south, it faces into the Spithead area of the wider Solent. A narrow channel, known as Portsbridge Creek, separates the island from the mainland.

Three road bridges (the M275 motorway, the A3 and the A2030), a pedestrian and cycle bridge, and a rail bridge connect the island to the mainland, and a small road bridge joins it to Whale Island. In addition there are ferry services to Gosport (on the mainland) and the Isle of Wight. It gives its name to a relatively commercial and historic neighbourhood, adjoining the south-western "city centre", Portsea, which has had variable use in local government but has long been a parish of the island.

There have been two Bronze Age hoards found on the island. A hoard of Roman coins has also been found. In 979 AD the island was raided by Danes. At the time of the Domesday Book 3 manors were recorded as being on the island.

Portsea is a parish and narrower, informal area of the city of Portsmouth, occupying much of its south-west.

Engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born in Britain Street in 1806; writer Charles Dickens was born nearby at Landport on 7 February 1812; the professor William Garnett was born in Portsea on 30 December 1850.