Fire Safety in Portsmouth

Portsmouth ( PORTS-məth) is a port city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in England not located primarily on the mainland. The city is located 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Southampton, 50 miles (80 km) west of Brighton and Hove and 74 miles (119 km) south-west of London. With a population last recorded at 208,100, it is the most densely populated city in the United Kingdom. Portsmouth forms part of the South Hampshire urban area with Gosport, Fareham, Havant, Eastleigh and Southampton.

It sits on Portsea Island at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbour and is steeped in maritime and naval heritage, most notably featuring HMNB Portsmouth—a Royal Navy base founded in 1194 and one of the world’s oldest and largest naval dockyards. The city is also known for its historic architecture, vibrant waterfront, and dense urban character.

Transport links in Portsmouth are extensive and well-developed. Two mainline stations—Portsmouth & Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour—offer fast services to London Waterloo, Southampton, Brighton, and coastal destinations. The M275 motorway connects directly to the M27 and A3(M), enhancing road travel to regional and national centres. Local buses, ferry services across the harbour, and pedestrian-friendly waterfront walkways offer comprehensive connectivity within the city and beyond.

Portsmouth’s economy is diverse, with strengths in advanced manufacturing, defence, maritime, logistics, education, health care, and creative industries. Key employers include BAE Systems, Babcock International, L3Harris, QinetiQ, and Griffon Hoverwork. Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (including Queen Alexandra Hospital) employs nearly 8,000 staff locally. Education and vocational training are significant too: the University of Portsmouth hosts around 29,000 students and 3,500 staff, while Highbury College supports technical and marine apprenticeship training.

Construction, engineering, transport, logistics, and low‑carbon technologies are among the fastest‑growing enterprise sectors regionally. The presence of the naval base supports a thriving cluster of defence contractors, marine services, and ship‑repair firms. The retail and creative economy is driven by waterfront developments like Gunwharf Quays, cultural venues, festivals, and the city’s rich tourism assets.

Portsmouth’s history can be traced to Roman times and has been a significant Royal Navy dockyard and base for centuries. Portsmouth was founded c. 1180 by Anglo-Norman merchant Jean de Gisors in the south-west area of Portsea Island, a location now known as Old Portsmouth. Around this time, de Gisors ordered the construction of a chapel dedicated to St Thomas Becket. This became a parish church by the 14th century. Portsmouth was established as a town with a royal charter on 2 May 1194. The city is home to the first drydock ever built. It was constructed by Henry VII in 1496.

Portsmouth has the world’s oldest dry dock, “The Great Stone Dock”; originally built in 1698, rebuilt in 1769 and presently known as “No.5 Dock”. The world’s first mass production line was established at the naval base’s Block Mills which produced pulley blocks for the Royal Navy fleet. By the early-19th century, Portsmouth was the most heavily fortified city in the world, and was considered “the world’s greatest naval port” at the height of the British Empire throughout Pax Britannica. By 1859, a ring of defensive land and sea forts, known as the Palmerston Forts, had been built around Portsmouth in anticipation of an invasion from continental Europe.

In the 20th century, Portsmouth achieved city status on 21 April 1926. During the Second World War, the city was a pivotal embarkation point for the D-Day landings and was bombed extensively in the Portsmouth Blitz, which resulted in the deaths of 930 people. In 1982, a large Royal Navy task force departed from Portsmouth for the Falklands War. Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia was formerly based in Portsmouth and oversaw the transfer of Hong Kong in 1997, after which Britannia was retired from royal service, decommissioned and relocated to Leith as a museum ship.

HMNB Portsmouth is an operational Royal Navy base and is home to two-thirds of the UK’s surface fleet. The base has long been nicknamed “Pompey”, a nickname it shares with the wider city of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Football Club. The naval base also contains the National Museum of the Royal Navy and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard; which has a collection of historic warships, including the Mary Rose, Lord Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory (the world’s oldest naval ship still in commission), and HMS Warrior, the Royal Navy’s first ironclad warship.

At ESI, we partner with Portsmouth’s vibrant business community—covering shipyards, defence suppliers, educational institutions, hospital facilities, workshops, and retail venues—to deliver high-standard electrical and fire-safety services. Our accredited engineers conduct professional fixed-wire testing, emergency lighting inspections, fire-alarm servicing, and compliance audits. Whether supporting Portsmouth’s naval infrastructure, commercial premises, or public-sector sites, we keep your operations secure, compliant, and fully functional.