Commercial Road, Portsmouth

Circa 1902.

Victoria Park Portsmouth

Circa 1900.

Fairview House

1960's, Fairview House, named because it overlooked the annual Portsdown Hill fair!

Portsdown Hill Fair with Fairview house in the background

Portsdown Hill Fair :

Cuckoldom and divorce

The whole conduct of these divorce cases points to a remarkable insensitiveness among Englishmen to scandal, even if it touched with its taint members of their family who were dragged into the proceedings. An English husband did not hesitate to broadcast his own shame.

Archenholtz gave the following illustration of this: A ship's captain came upon his wife and one of his sailors when they expected not to be disturbed in what they were doing. He had her stripped naked and, with her lover, set astride a mast which was decked with streamers and carried on the shoulders of a number of sailors. The procession went through the streets of East London while a band played and an amazing crowd of people followed. 

A country nobleman, who had come with his wife to London on a pleasure trip, had strong suspicions of her infidelity. He gave out he was going a journey and surprised her in the night in the arms of an officer. He was provided with cord and had them bound by men hand and foot and tied by the neck to the bed-posts. He exhibited them in this plight to all his friends and acquaintances. The friends brought others along, for which permission was gladly given and this strange spectacle lasted for four days, during which time the loving couple got nothing but bread and water.

It was almost always the husband who gave the journalists the first details about his cuckoldom in order to ‘enlighten the spirit of the nation’. His honour seemed to receive satisfaction by just that which in other countries would have been accounted public disgrace. In a divorce case the husband never made himself ridiculous, but it was always the wife's lover, well thrashed, who went pale. A duel, which in other countries was the usual outcome of this sort of scandal, was regarded in England as utterly superfluous, and indeed, chose ridicule.

Chance Street

Chance Street Portsea.

Miss May Miller's postcard.

First reference to May Miller writing a book.

The Hard

The hard, Portsmouth.

Palmerston Road

Mikado & tea rooms, Palmerston Road.