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Diana Jackson

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Virtual Tour of the Solent and Beyond

  • The Solent Area ~ Virtual Tour no 8 ~ Southampton

    In the past, if  you’d taken the Floating Bridge over the River Itchen from Woolston then you would be close to Southampton Docks and as a child, when holidaying with my Grandma we used to do the round trip… over to Southampton via the Floating Bridge and back via Northam Bridge, or the other way around if…

  • The Solent Area Virtual Tour no 7 ~ Woolston and Itchen Village

    Today I am going to share with you a snapshot of old Wooston through copies of my Grandfather’s book of postcards. They are not dated, but looking at postcards of a similar era I would certainly say they were Edwardian. Above is the Portsmouth Road on its way down towards the Floating Bridge, and below…

  • The Solent Area Virtual Tour no 6 ~ Netley Abbey and Weston Shore

    Walking or driving in a north westerly direction along Southampton Water you pass another landmark, Netley Abbey, where you can take an atmospheric stroll amongst its ruins. Originally a monastery, it inspired both artists and poets through the 18th and 19th centuries, including John Constable, and still does today. In fact it has long been a popular tourist…

  • The Solent Area and Beyond ~ A Virtual Tour no 5 ~ The Royal Victoria Park Netley

    In walking distance heading north west along Southampton Water from Hamble we reach The Royal Victoria Park, an open space of an acre or so of grass sloping down to the river, which you can glimpse through the gaps in the tree-line. It is surrounded by woodland, through which there are many paths and tracks,…

  • The Solent ~ Virtual history tour No 4 ~ Amble in Hamble

    Approximately 8 miles north west as the crow flies from Lee on Solent and a few miles further by road, Hamble is a gem of a place snuggled at the mouth of the River Hamble as it flows into Southampton Water and the Solent beyond. It is well known to the sailing fraternity, who moor…

  • The Solent and beyond ~ A Virtual History Tour Post No 3 ~ Lee on Solent. Seaplanes, hovercraft and helicopters!

    On my virtual historical tour of the Solent we will continue heading north west, but will pause a while at Lee on Solent. This is an unscheduled stop because Lee on Solent does not in fact feature in my novel ‘Ancasta ~ Guide me Swiftly Home,’ but the bay certainly has important history and my parents…

  • The Solent and Beyond ~ Virtual Social History Tour Post no 2 ~ Fort Grange

    For my second post in this series we are going to travel a short distance along Stokes Bay and follow the route of main road, until we pass Fort Grange, the second in a row of five Palmerstone fortresses. Four of these forts are still within the grounds HMS Sultan Naval Base, Gosport. The Aero…

  • The Solent ~ A virtual social historical tour no 1: Fort Gilkicker

    There are an impressive number of Victorian Forts in the Gosport area, built to protect Portsmouth Harbour; Fort Elson, Brockenhurnst, Rowner, Grange, Gomer, Gilkicker and Monckton. They have been given the unkind name of Palmerstone Follies because they were never used in battle in Victorian times, but in all truth they were more than effective…