ABSTRACT
This paper was offered in advance of the conference visit to Portsmouth. The recent completion of the English Heritage funded extensive urban survey for Hampshire provided the opportunity to re-assess the value and potential of Portsmouth’s buried archaeology and visible past. Portsmouth has for centuries been an important naval base. From the 17th to the 19th centuries it was also a major centre for the operations of the East India and other trading companies. This paper examines briefly the global context of Portsmouth’s past, focusing on the Oyster Street excavations, on surviving buildings and the expansion of Portsmouth as a provincial town from the late 17th century. It is argued that archaeological strategies evolved by English Heritage for Portsmouth Harbour and its hinterland will need to be re-written and to extend far beyond the areas thus far encompassed.
