Located mainly across Portsea Island on the south coast, the city of Portsmouth is best known for its maritime heritage and association with the Royal Navy. Its strategic location presented obvious importance in wartime, which saw Admiral Lord Nelson sailing from the harbour to his victory at Trafalgar and his doom. Today it is still a busy port, but the ships that set sail are for tourism, business and friendship, not war.

In this book, authors R. J. Cook & K. C. Close provide a fascinating visual chronicle of how much the city has changed across the last century. Using sepia, black-and-white and colour photographs they show how the city expanded and developed across the decades. Readers will glimpse lost and forgotten scenes from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, through both world wars and right up to more recent times. In addition to the streets, buildings and industries, together with the naval and military connections, the book offers a fascinating record of the people of the city and their constantly changing way of life.

Lost Portsmouth is an engrossing look back in time that will appeal to residents, visitors and all those with links to the city.