Whale Island, Hampshire facts for kids
Whale Island is a small piece of land surrounded by water in Portsmouth Harbour. It's very close to Portsea Island. This island is home to HMS Excellent. This is the oldest training base on land for the Royal Navy. It's also where the main offices for the Navy's command are located. You can reach Whale Island from Portsea Island and the mainland using road bridges.
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How Whale Island Grew
Early Days of the Island
Old maps from 1862 show Whale Island as a very thin strip of land. It was long from east to west but very narrow from north to south. North of it was a smaller island called Little Whale Island.
Most of the Whale Island you see today is actually reclaimed land. This means it was built up using dirt and mud. This material was dug out from Portsmouth Harbour during the 1800s. This process made the island about 125% bigger! Many prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars helped build it.
Expanding the Island's Size
Around 1867, a special bridge called a viaduct was built. It stretched from the north side of the dockyard to the south-east part of Big Whale Island. This bridge allowed workers to move dirt from the harbor. This dirt was used to fill in the space between Big Whale Island and Little Whale Island. This is how the island started to look like it does now.
A railway track ran on this viaduct. It was extended all around the island to help spread the dirt. Much of this old track is still there today, buried under the roads. Most of the building work was done by convicts. This was a good job for them because they got extra food.
By 1885, the island had five places for target practice with rifles. But three of these were soon closed down. This made space for a special area to practice with guns and a drill ground. Today, this area is known as the Summer Parade Ground.
Photos from the Whale Island Quarterdeck, built in 1888, show that a footbridge was added. This bridge connected the island to Stamshaw, which is part of Portsea Island. This happened sometime before 1898. It even had a part that could swing open. Today, a small road bridge connects the islands at the same spot.
From September 1916, Whale Island was home to a special group. This group experimented with ways to defend against planes.
Before World War II, Whale Island even had a zoo! It was home to different animals. These animals were gifts to British leaders from friendly countries.
Special Traditions
The special gun carriage used to carry coffins in British state funerals is kept on Whale Island. This is the carriage used for very important people, like kings and queens.
Visiting Whale Island
HMS Excellent is an active naval base. This means it's a working military site. Because of this, it's not usually open to the public. However, there are sometimes open days. If you want to visit, it's best to contact the base first.
