We offer tours of the historic parts of Old Portsmouth.
Tours can be from 30 mins to get a flavour for the old town, 60 mins up to the full tour taking 90 mins. If you want to stop and enjoy the waterfront pubs along the way I completely understand!
It is suitable for children, teens, adults & senior citizens. The full tour route is approximately 2 miles and wheelchair / mobility scooter friendly. We are also dog friendly.
Tour groups are limited to approximately 12 people, ensuring you can hear & engage. Preference given to those who have booked in advance by texting / emailing me or via Guruwalk, Freetour, Getyourguide or Tripadvisor.
For our international guests there are summary sheets of the key point along the tour in a wide range of languages.
For young children, there is an activity booklet / pencils & plenty of age appropriate stories to engage their minds.
Your Guide will have an unrivalled knowledge of historic Portsmouth from its Roman origins to the present day. We focus on its people & their stories of life, love & loss, not dreary dates or boring buildings.
Whether you are interested in military history, ghosts, the World Wars & their impact on Portsmouth's people or just want a flavour of our fantastic heritage, the tours have plenty to offer all ages.
We have access to a vast database of international military & civilian casualties, across World Wars 1 & 2. If you have any questions about relatives & their linkage to Portsmouth we would be pleased to help your research. Let us know in advance if possible.
We currently have over 100 Five Star Reviews from our guests across the different platforms that we use.
If we entertain you , any kind gratuities or funds from booking sites are split with Cancer Research UK. So far since 2022 we have raised £4,200 for this incredible charity through the generosity of our guests - see tabs above for 2022-4.
During the summer tours at 11am, 1pm & 3pm Thurs-Sat & 11am, 1pm Sun.
During winter, tours may be possible. Please contact me &I will do my best to accommodate your requests.
If the weather is very inclement, we can always tell you the stories with supporting pictures in a pub or cafe'!
Tours depart from the Mudlarks (girl and man) statue 30 metres before the entrance to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. During summer a Portsmouth Of the Past banner/ A board is close by. Tour guides normally wear branded red jackets / union jack waistcoats so you can't miss us!.
Portsmouth Harbour station & The Hard Bus Interchange are a 75m walk away. Local & reasonably priced car parking is available at Wickham Street (PO1 3EF). The Portsmouth Clean Air Zone charges do not apply to private cars or motorcycles.
Buses run from Portsmouth International Port for ferries and cruise ships.
The sister ship of the Mary Rose was called Peter Pomegranate.
The world's first 'modern' production line was in the dockyard.
Portsmouth used to have the most drinking establishments per acre than anywhere else in the country. The Devil's Acre had 16 pubs in one street.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes, played football for the predecessor of Portsmouth Football club.!
Jeramiah Chubb developed his locks in Portsmouth to stop sailors stealing!.
The last witch trial in the UK was held in Portsmouth in the 1944.
Portsmouth had the world's most unlucky airport with two aircraft crashes in one day!
PortsmouthofthePast.co.uk