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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Portsmouth
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(185,000 in 1991) City, port and naval dockyard on the south coast of England, in Hampshire. The city occupies a promontory to the east of a large natural harbour; the town on the western side of the narrow entrance channel is Gosport. Portsmouth's importance derives from *Henry VII establishing a dockyard here in 1496, and it remains Britain's chief naval station (known to sailors as Pompey). The Royal Dockyard occupies a large section of the city and is closed to the public except for access to the Royal Naval Museum and Portsmouth's three great ships from the past, the *Mary Rose, *Victory and *Warrior. The cathedral is the old church of St Thomas (its main parts variously 13C, 17C and 20C), which was promoted to this status when Portsmouth became a diocese in 1927.
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