Basil Hall Chamberlain (18 October 1850 – 15 February 1935) was a British academic and Japanologist . He was a professor of the Japanese language at Tokyo Imperial University and one of the foremost British Japanologists active in Japan during the late 19th century. (Others included Ernest Satow and W. G. Aston .) He also wrote some of the earliest translations of haiku into English. He is perhaps best remembered for his informal and popular one-volume encyclopedia Things Japanese , which first appeared in 1890 and which he revised several times thereafter. His interests were diverse, and his works include an anthology of poetry in French.
46-746: Chamberlain was born in Southsea (a part of Portsmouth ) on the south coast of England , the son of an Admiral William Charles Chamberlain and his wife Eliza Hall, the daughter of the travel writer Basil Hall . His younger brother was Houston Stewart Chamberlain . He was brought up speaking French as well as English , even before moving to Versailles to live with his maternal grandmother in 1856 upon his mother's death. Once in France , he acquired German as well. Chamberlain had hoped to study at Oxford , but instead started work at Barings Bank in London . He
92-585: A founding member of the Conservative Club and in 1845 married Lady Eliza Harriet Dickson, setting up home in London. The same year he was appointed to the office of Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to Queen Victoria , for which service he was created 1st Baronet Neeld and became entitled to the style "Sir John Neeld" on 20 April 1859. In 1852 he was offered the position of Junior Lord of
138-573: A life-size (52 ft high) model of an ultrasauros dinosaur was erected on the common in conjunction with the Portsmouth's Aspex Gallery . The sculpture was destroyed by a fire, thought to have been caused by an electrical fault, on 1 October. In 2013 Victorious Festival moved from the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to Southsea Common. The annual festival was extended to a 3-day event in 2017. In September 2013, it
184-490: A lone feral black swan . Pedalos can be rented on the lake in the summer. Since 2006 Canoe Lake has been a venue for the Lake of Lights Memorial Service, held each December, when thousands of lights are floated on the lake to commemorate loved ones in the local community who have been lost to cancer. Albert Road is a well known road of the hosts a range of independent bars, restaurants, cafes and live music venues. It also hosts
230-549: A medical practice at 1 Bush Villas in Elm Grove, Southsea. Areas of Southsea suffered from the rapid development of the suburb; certain streets suffered from poverty and there was a major cholera outbreak in 1848. The works of the commission helped bring about some improvements and eventually led to the setting up of the Southsea Improvement Association. Southsea continued to grow eastwards in
276-463: A possible French attack on the naval base led Henry VIII to order the building of Southsea Castle in 1544, adjacent to the channel approaches to Portsmouth Harbour . Southsea was first recorded as a place name in a Royal plan in 1577. Henry VIII visited Southsea Castle in 1545, from where he witnessed the sinking of the warship Mary Rose in the Solent . The first references to the development of
322-520: A railway branch called the Southsea Railway was opened from platform 3 at Fratton Station , terminating at East Southsea Station (near to The Strand). Two unstaffed halts were added at Albert Road and Jessie Road/Devonshire Avenue . The line was not able to compete with the Portsmouth corporation tram services. It was closed in 1914 and never re-opened. The line itself and the station have since been demolished and replaced with houses. Southsea
368-473: A range of cultural events. It is also houses the Kings Theatre and The Wedgewood Rooms . Southsea features a mild oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ) that borderlines the warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Csb ), with warm summers and relatively mild, damp winters. Due to its southerly location and sheltering of northerly winds from Portsdown Hill , Southsea enjoys one of the mildest winters in
414-526: A seafront fort constructed in 1544 to help defend the Solent and approaches to Portsmouth Harbour . In 1879, South Parade Pier was opened by Princess Edward of Saxe-Weimar in Southsea. The pier began operating a passenger steamer service across the Solent to the Isle of Wight . This service gave rise to the idea of linking Southsea and its pier to Portsmouth's railway line , and for tourists to bypass
460-526: A suburb of Portsmouth in the inter-war years, with many visitors in summer. At that time parts of the Common were converted into ornamental gardens and the Ladies' Mile was set out in 1925. However World War II had an immense impact on the urban and social fabric of the area. Huge areas of Southsea were destroyed by bombing during The Blitz . Although some of Victorian Southsea escaped the bombing, areas such as
506-425: Is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth , Portsea Island in the ceremonial county of Hampshire , England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea began as a fashionable 19th-century Victorian seaside resort named Croxton Town , after a Mr Croxton who owned the land. As the resort grew, it adopted the name of nearby Southsea Castle ,
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#1732775929768552-470: Is generally part of the history of Portsmouth, as Southsea started with the growth of Portsmouth dockyard and of the city, with the expansion of British maritime power during the British Empire . Before the 16th century Southsea was principally composed of small farms, open grassland and undrained marshland (morass), outside the main naval base and the city itself. However the growing expectation of
598-651: Is now served by stations at Fratton and Portsmouth and Southsea station and on to Portsmouth Harbour (also called The Hard), with regular trains to London Waterloo and London Victoria . There is a Hayling Island Ferry service linking Eastney and Ferry Point, on Hayling Island . Southsea is the birthplace of underwater hockey . The town is home to the UK's most successful club, winning 21 out of 53 national championships as of 2023, in addition to 16 out of 36 Nautilus Tournaments as of 2022. John Neeld#Death and legacy Sir John Neeld, 1st Baronet (1805–1891)
644-497: The 2008 FA Cup Final . It also hosts the annual Portsmouth Pride celebrations. On 6 June 1994 a drumhead service was held on Southsea Common in front of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial to commemorate the 50th anniversary of D-Day . The service was attended by all the heads of the states which had participated in the allied landings, notably HM Queen Elizabeth II and US President Bill Clinton . The service
690-513: The Mauritshuis . On the Audley's death on 1 May 1941 the title was extinguished. Neeld's daughter Ada Mary (b. 11 June 1846 ), twin sister of Algernon, married General Sir George Harry Smith Willis , a British Army General who achieved high office in the 1880s, and they went on to have four sons. Lady Ada Mary Willis (née Neeld) opened the Southsea Railway on 1 July 1885, as her husband
736-741: The Napoleonic era and as the dockyard continued to grow, new homes were required for the increasing personnel, and many houses, villas and apartments were built. The architect and builder Thomas Ellis Owen created many of these, and the surviving buildings retain a coherent late Georgian and early Victorian style, and form a conservation area today, with many of the buildings having listed status. Owen built properties in Kent Road, Queen's Terrace, Sussex Terrace, Elm Grove, Beach Road, Grove Road South, Clarendon Road, Osborne Road and Portland Terrace. The area between Castle Road and Victoria Road South
782-691: The "mineral" streets (such as Silver Street and Nickel Street). Around 1810, streets such as Hampshire Terrace, Landport Terrace, King's Terrace, Wish Street (which later became King's Road and Elm Grove), Jubilee Terrace and Bellevue Terrace were built adjacent to the old walls of the city. Although the streets still exist, many of them were among the most heavily bombed areas of Portsmouth in the Second World War , and like much of Southsea they experienced significant redevelopment in Postwar Britain . The development of Southsea continued during
828-726: The 1891 edition of A Handbook for Travellers in Japan , of which revised editions followed. Chamberlain was a friend of the writer Lafcadio Hearn , once a colleague at the university, but the two became estranged over the years. Percival Lowell dedicated his travelogue Noto: An Unexplored Corner of Japan (1891) to Chamberlain. Chamberlain sent many Japanese artefacts to the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford . He left Japan in March 1911 and moved to Geneva , where he lived until his death in 1935. Southsea Southsea
874-429: The 1970s. Palmerston Road shopping area was developed in the 1950s and still stands today. Although visitor numbers to the resort area never recovered, Southsea continued to develop throughout the 20th century and today remains a mixed residential area and leisure destination. On 15 September 2000, parts of Southsea were flooded when a month's worth of rain fell in 12 hours. The Eastney pumping station then failed due to
920-651: The Kings Road and Elm Grove were extensively damaged and the Palmerston Road shopping areas were completely destroyed. The beachfront, piers and promenades were closed for the duration of the war. Following the end of the war, in 1945 Southsea and the rest of Portsmouth embarked on a massive clearance and rebuilding scheme. Many areas of destroyed, damaged and intact low-income housing were cleared to make way for new building schemes. The Kings Road Estate and Roslyn House, among others, were developed between 1945 and
966-549: The Southsea Town Council. The initial creation of the town council was opposed by Portsmouth City Council. There was a long-standing campaign to disband the town council. In a poll of local residents in February 2010, 66.3 per cent voted to abolish it. The parish was abolished on 23 April 2010. It is now in the unparished area of Portsmouth. The town council had limited powers and a small budget funded by
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#17327759297681012-581: The Treasury by Lord Derby , but refused. Neeld became a major landowner in Wiltshire, having inherited from his brother Joseph in 1856; in 1872 he was High Sheriff of the county. Neeld died on 3 September 1891 at Grittleton House , Wiltshire. His son Algernon William (11 June 1846 – 11 August 1900) inherited the baronetcy; on his death his son, Audley Dallas Neeld, became the 3rd Baronet and inherited Rembrandt 's self-portrait of 1669, today in
1058-664: The United Kingdom, and experiences higher temperatures than areas surrounding it, as well as higher sunshine hours. Summers tend to be warm with fewer extreme high temperatures than other areas in the South East of England. On 1 April 1999 following a successful submission to the UK Government under the Local Government and Rating Act 1997 Southsea became a civil parish . The Parish Council later became
1104-561: The Victoria and Albert Piers, with the construction of South Parade Pier in 1879 marking the culmination of seafront development in the Victorian period. By the 1860s the suburb of Southsea had grown along Clarendon Road as far as Granada Road. In 1857 Southsea gained its own Improvement Commissioners responsible for paving , street cleaning and public lighting . The Southsea Railway came in 1885 and brought further development to
1150-540: The area, although it was to be financially unsuccessful and eventually closed in 1914. By the mid to late Victorian era , Southsea had become recognised as a largely middle-class neighbourhood, with many naval officers and other professionals taking up residence. During this time the writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lived in Portsmouth , moving to Southsea in June 1882 with less than £10 (£1300 today ) to his name. He set up
1196-657: The area, though these are not true palms, but more closely related to yuccas and agaves. Canoe Lake is the last remnant of an area of marsh and open water known as the Great Morass, drained in 1886, on which much of Southsea now sits. The lake is topped up from the sea by a sluice gate at high tide. Some marine wildlife can be spotted in the lake, including fish, crabs, moon jellyfish , and reportedly even small sharks. Mute swans and mallard can be seen regularly, with less frequent visits from tufted duck , Mediterranean gull , cormorant , little grebe and occasionally
1242-505: The busy town of Portsmouth and its crowded harbour. East Southsea railway station , along with the Southsea Railway and Fratton railway station were jointly opened on 1 July 1885 by Lady Ada Mary Willis (née Neeld ), wife of General Sir George Willis , the Lieutenant Governor of Portsmouth . Southsea subsequently grew into a dense residential suburb and large, distinct commercial and entertainment area, separate from
1288-580: The crowd but the development plans were abandoned. The common is a popular recreation ground, and also serves as the venue for a number of annual events, including the Southsea Show, Para Spectacular, Military Vehicle Show, Kite Festival, Victorious Festival and a variety of circuses including the Moscow State Circus and Chinese State Circus . It was also the place where fans of Portsmouth F.C. gathered to celebrate their victory in
1334-478: The demands of the military in the early nineteenth century for a clear range of fire from the harbour defences at any enemy ships which dared to approach Portsmouth and its dockyard. In 1874, the Portsmouth Corporation closed part of the common for private development which lead to four days of rioting. These riots became known as the "Battle of Southsea". The police and army eventually dispersed
1380-544: The early 20th century, extending to the area of Eastney . During this time significant local public buildings were constructed including the Queens Hotel , in the Edwardian Baroque style built in 1903 and the Kings Theatre built in 1907. The onset of World War I saw an increase in fortifications on the seafront. Parades were held on Southsea Common. Southsea continued to thrive as a resort destination and
1426-402: The flood water. On 9 August 2011 a fire broke out at the former Joanna's Nightclub, then derelict and later demolished, opposite South Parade Pier. A contemporary local newspaper report states that the incident was not linked to then-ongoing riots . Southsea Common is a large expanse of mown grassland parallel to the shore from Clarence Pier to Southsea Castle. The Common owes its existence to
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1472-813: The larger trees are Huntingdon Elms planted in the 1920s, but nearer the entrance to the Skate Park there is a fine example of a hybrid of the Siberian Elm Ulmus pumila . Huntingdon Elms once lined the Ladies' Mile—an avenue through the centre of the Common—but many were lost in the Great Storm of 1987 and replaced by the Dutch hybrid elm cultivar 'Lobel' . The Ladies' Mile is also home to several semi-mature Canary Island date palms Phoenix canariensis . Planted in 1996, these palms are now some of
1518-616: The largest in the UK and for the last few years have fruited and produced viable seed, the first time this species of palm has been recorded doing so in the UK. Other palms growing close to the Common include Trachycarpus fortunei , (Ladies' Mile, Rock Gardens and Rose Garden), Chamaerops humilis (in front of the Pyramids Centre), Butia capitata (in Burgoyne Gardens) and Brahea armata , (Canoe Lake and D-Day Island). Many Cordyline australis are also planted in
1564-400: The local library , and Southsea Community Cinema and Arts Centre. Albert Road is a distinct street containing shopping and cultural venues, which include The Wedgewood Rooms , and the Kings Theatre , a regional theatre built in 1907. Southsea retains its own post town status (PO4 and PO5), even though the actual town of Southsea was merged into Portsmouth in 1904. The history of Southsea
1610-403: The local precept. It campaigned on local issues, seeking to influence the unitary authority Portsmouth City Council, awarded funds to local causes and funded infrastructure improvements in the local area. Until 2007 it had a small office open to the public in Southsea town centre. Hovertravel operates a regular hovercraft service to Ryde on the Isle of Wight from Southsea seafront. In 1898
1656-479: The suburb appear in the Portsea Poor Rate returns of 1790 and describe small areas of building and farming plots. Most of the land was undeveloped and open grass and marshland still dominated the area. In the early 19th century, development continued on land owned by Thomas Croxton, and the community became known as Croxton Town. The first houses were built by 1809 for skilled workers in what were called
1702-579: The town of Portsmouth up until Southsea and the whole of Portsea Island were incorporated into the town borough of Portsmouth in 1904. Due to declining use and World War I , the Southsea Railway line and its East Southsea station were closed on 6 August 1914. To maintain Southsea's tourism, the Southsea station name was moved and merged with Portsmouth's main town centre railway station in 1925, officially becoming known as Portsmouth & Southsea railway station . A year later in 1926, Portsmouth
1748-401: Was a member of Parliament for Cricklade between 1835 and 1859, and Chippenham , Wiltshire, England, between 1865 and 1868. Neeld was one of five sons of Joseph Neeld (1754–1828) and his wife Mary (née Bond) (1765–1857), of Hendon , Middlesex. He was educated at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge , where he took a B.A. in 1827 and an M.A. three years later. In 1840 he was
1794-605: Was also witnessed by over 100,000 members of the public. Historically, a blessing before battle was offered during a drumhead service which is conducted in the field with the drums forming the altar and the colours serving as the altar cloth. On 28 June 2005 the Common was a venue for the Trafalgar 200 celebrations, the seafront an ideal point from which to witness the International Fleet Review and evening firework display. In August 2010, " Ultrasauros ",
1840-628: Was announced that a new Parkrun would begin along Southsea seafront in October 2013. In July 2015 and 2016 Southsea Common hosted the America's Cup World Series sailing event. The British sailing team Land Rover BAR is based in nearby Old Portsmouth. The common is home to a collection of mature elm trees, believed to be the oldest and largest surviving in Hampshire, which have escaped Dutch elm disease owing to their isolation. The majority of
1886-459: Was built up between 1835 and 1860. In 1851 St Jude's CofE church was built on Kent Road to a design by Thomas Ellis Owen . During the same period, Southsea grew as a leisure and bathing destination. In 1816 a pump room and baths were erected near the present day Clarence Pier , and by 1820 a large complex was developed including vapour baths, showers, and card playing and assembly rooms. The remaining marshland, known locally as The Great Morass
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1932-413: Was drained, leading to the creation of Southsea Common , some 480 acres (about 2 km ) of open grassland. Due to military requirements for clear lines of fire adjacent to Southsea Castle, the area was developed and remains today as a park and garden. Apartments and hotels were constructed towards the common and waterfront, along Southsea Terrace, Western Parade and Clarence Parade. The first large hotel
1978-537: Was granted official city status, while its main railway station retained its "Portsmouth & Southsea" name, which has led many non-locals and visitors to wrongly assume that Southsea is still a separate town near to Portsmouth. The areas of Southsea surrounding Albert Road, Palmerston Road, and Osborne Road contain many bars, restaurants and independent shops. Palmerston Road is the main High Street of Southsea and contains various shops and restaurants, as well as
2024-618: Was here that he gained his reputation as a student of Japanese language and literature. (He was also a pioneering scholar of the Ainu and Ryukyuan languages .) His many works include the first translation of the Kojiki into English (1882), A Handbook of Colloquial Japanese (1888), Things Japanese (1890), and A Practical Guide to the Study of Japanese Writing (1905). A keen traveller despite chronic weak health, he cowrote (with W. B. Mason )
2070-651: Was the Portland Hotel (destroyed in the Second World War) near Kent Road. Others soon followed, including the purpose-built Queens Hotel (1861), Pier Hotel (1865) and Beach Mansions Hotel (1866). In 1852 the Clarence Esplanade and a memorial were erected by public subscription, and development of the resort led in 1861 to Clarence Pier being constructed as a promenade pier and landing place for steamers. Other piers were also built, including
2116-674: Was unsuited to the work and soon had a nervous breakdown . It was in the hope of a full recovery that he sailed out of Britain , with no clear destination in mind. Chamberlain landed in Japan on 29 May 1873, employed by the Japanese government as an o-yatoi gaikokujin . He taught at the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in Tokyo from 1874 to 1882. His most important position, however, was as professor of Japanese at Tokyo Imperial University beginning in 1886. It
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