English Courses in Portsmouth
Overview
As the United Kingdom’s only island city, located on its south coast, Portsmouth is ideal for a stay by the sea. It is a dynamic and vibrant waterfront city packed with great reasons to visit and study there. From the pomp and ceremony of the proud naval and maritime heritage, to towering world-class visitor attractions, unique shopping destinations, great places to eat and miles of beautiful waterfront, Portsmouth has something for absolutely everyone. There are live music venues, museums and contemporary art galleries, two cathedrals, a great nightlife, festivals, and countless other events throughout the year.
Portsmouth was the birthplace of Charles Dickens, and was home to Arthur Conan Doyle and Rudyard Kipling during their lifetimes. These literary greats are celebrated at museums throughout the city and with frequent events. If there are big, outdoor happenings in Portsmouth, they will probably be hosted on Southsea Common, a 100-acre open space right on the seafront. It is home to Southsea Castle, one of King Henry VIII’s most famous fortifications, and nowadays is a popular location for sports, including the America’s Cup World Series a few years ago. Portsmouth’s position and its busy sailing community give the city a holiday atmosphere and make it the perfect place for language students to improve their English, meet new people and have fun at the same time.
Why study English in Portsmouth?
Portsmouth is a lively city, with a population of 206,000, ensuring that it is large enough for students to have many things to do, even during a prolonged stay, but not so large as to require long travel times from place to place. International students will also be able to make friends with locals their own age–the University of Portsmouth enrols 23,000 students, and is ranked among the world’s best modern universities. At the same time, the city is not overrun with language schools, meaning that there is a good selection of high-quality host families available, often a short distance from the schools. Portsmouth is also close enough to London for a day excursion, and there are many other beautiful locations nearby and along England’s South Coast for other visits outside the city.
Language Schools and Camps in this Destination
Images of Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Things to Do and See During a Vacation Study
The Mary Rose Ship and Museum
The Mary Rose is a four-deck vessel with 91 bronze cannons built in 1509. In 1545, just over a mile and a quarter from its home port in the Solent, the ship sank. It was raised in 1983 and now visitors can see it together with more than 26,000 artifacts discovered in the wreck at the Mary Rose Museum in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
HMS Warrior and HMS M33
The HMS Warrior and HMS M33 are Royal Navy warships that can be viewed at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The HMS Warrior was launched in 1860 and it is one of the world’s first iron-hulled warships, as well as one of the biggest and best-equipped vessels of its type. Visitors can observe the restored crew quarters and displays portraying the often difficult life at sea.
HMS Victory
Built in 1765, the HMS Victory was Lord Nelson’s famous flagship. In his hour of victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Nelson was fatally wounded and died aboard it.
Emirates Spinnaker Tower
Opened in 2005, it is Britain’s tallest tower outside London. The Tower is a glorious sweep of steel and glass in the shape of a sail. On a clear day, visitors can see 350-degree panoramas stretching up to 23 miles (37 km).
Nelson Trail
The Nelson Trail a short stroll through the streets of old Portsmouth along which, in 1805, the Admiral walked to reach the beach at Southsea before leaving England for the last time. It is filled with many buildings of the period, including old pubs, and it was spared Portsmouth’s bombing during the Second World War.
Round and Square Towers
The Round Tower (1418) and the Square Tower (1494) have guarded the entrance to Portsmouth harbor for centuries. The Square Tower was originally the residence of the military governor, and is today used for special events. The interior of the Round Tower has been converted for use as an exhibition gallery, while its rooftop is open year-round and affords wonderful views over the city and harbor.
Royal Navy Submarine Museum
This museum is located in Gosport, across the water from Portsmouth. It contains Britain’s first submarine, Holland I, launched in 1901, along with the HMS Alliance, launched just after the close of WWII. Inside, visitors can experience fascinating interactive exhibits about life in a submarine.
Portsmouth Cathedral
The foundation stone of Portsmouth Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury, was laid in 1185. The chancel and transepts date from Norman times, while the choir is in the late style of Sir Christopher Wren. The south side aisle of the choir, dedicated to the Royal Navy, includes mementos of the Mary Rose and Nelson’s HMS Victory.
Charles Dickens’ Birthplace Museum
This museum is the house in which the famous author was born in 1812. Visitors can see many examples of Regency furniture that once belonged to his family, manuscripts, copies of his novels, and his deathbed, brought here from his home in Gad’s Hill Place, Kent.
Portsmouth City Museum and the Sherlock Holmes Connection
The Portsmouth City Museum is from the Victorian era, and includes extensive collections of art and craftwork as well as an exhibition on the history of the city from the 17th century. Also, fans of Sherlock Holmes can find material related to Arthur Conan Doyle and exhibits on the many incarnations of Sherlock in film and theater.
Southsea Suburb and Southsea Castle
Southsea is a popular suburb of Portsmouth and boasts a lovely three-mile promenade with excellent views of the Isle of Wight. The Southsea Castle, built by Henry VIII in the 16th century, contains a number of exhibits connected with the city’s history from Tudor times to the Victorian era. From the castle walls, there’s a superb view across the Solent to Spitbank Fort.
Stansted House
Built in the 17th century, the Wren-style house is located a few miles from Portsmouth and contains the Bessborough collection of paintings and family furnishings, including early 18th-century paintings. The house is set in spectacular parkland with an arboretum, walled gardens, and an ancient chapel.
Blue Reef Aquarium
At the heart of this aquarium is a giant tropical reef tank that is home to a variety of tropical sharks, stingrays, and hundreds of brightly-colored reef fish. Visitors are able to see these creatures from the sea bed, thanks to the underwater, walk-through tunnel.
The Pyramids Centre
The Pyramids Centre is one of Portsmouth’s largest entertainment, leisure and event complexes, located just off Southsea Beach. It boasts a variety of activities for all ages with leisure pools, flumes, waves, pool inflatables and a three-level soft play adventure world filled with mazes, climbing nets and ball pits.
Gunwharf Quays
Gunwharf Quays is a premium retail outlet with some of the biggest names in fashion, beauty and homeware, all at fantastic discounts. The complex also houses restaurants and bars.
How to Arrive at your Language Course
By Air
London Gatwick (122 km away) and Heathrow (100 km away) are in easy reach of Portsmouth Harbour, via rail/coach connections. The Southampton International Airport is approximately 36 km away and provides domestic services to the UK and the Channel Islands, and French and Dutch destinations.
By Train
Portsmouth’s railway network is connected to London, Bristol, Southampton, Cardiff, Exeter, Reading and Brighton. There is a direct train from Portsmouth to Gatwick Airport and one to Heathrow Airport available via Woking.
More rail information is available here.
By Coach
Stagecoach, First Bus, and National Express all provide regular services to parts of Portsmouth and the surrounding area.