The Sailor’s Hornpipe, also known as “The Jig of the Ship,” “Jack the Lad,” or “Deck Dancing,”[1] was a common sight in ports, danced and performed in sailortown areas across the globe. The Sailor’s Hornpipe became a staple dance of the Royal Navy, so much so “the sailor’s hornpipe was one of the glories of […]
Department of Historical Studies, Gothenburg University, Sweden, 9th September 2014 A recent workshop by the Universities of Gothenburg and Portsmouth brought together academics, archivists and heritage professionals to discuss the methodologies, data and potential beneficiaries of mapping port towns. Dr Tomas Nilson and Dr Brad Beaven opened proceedings and explained that the history of port […]
When nineteenth-century Britons stood facing the ocean, what did they think about? Did they rejoice in the healthy sea breezes? Fret about a French invasion? Did they daydream about travel, worry about stock market crashes, plot the conversion of unbelievers in far-flung colonies? Or, watching the waves themselves, did they marvel at the scientific achievement […]
The Port Towns and Urban Cultures team embarked on their first outreach event aimed at children aged between 12 and 15 years. The event was run in conjunction with the University of Portsmouth’s UP for It Club which offers children in school years 7 to 11 a chance to engage in university-based subjects and get a […]
Taverns and other drinking establishments occupy a privileged place in the iconography of ports and sailortowns. Who could forget the free-and-easy multicultural egalitarianism of ALL-MAX, the East End dive immortalized by Pierce Egan? [1] In The Many-Headed Hydra, Marcus Rediker and Peter Linebaugh speculated about what sorts of conversations sailors, slaves, sex workers, and assorted […]
The British Society of Sports History, South of England Network, London Branch present their next History Seminar. Dr Catherine Tackley (Open University), will be giving a paper entitled ‘Uncharted Waters: Researching Sounds, Ships, and Sailortowns.’ The seminar will take place on Monday, 31st March at 5:15 pm, in Room STB8 in the basement of Stewart […]
