Editing Southsea (section)

==Southsea Common==
[[File:Southsea, Portsmouth, UK.jpg|thumb|left|Southsea Common and [[Portsmouth Naval Memorial]].]]
[[File:Huntingdon Elm Southsea Common 2.jpg|thumb|left|Row of wind-pruned [[Huntingdon Elm]]s, Southsea Common]]
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 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.<ref name="Quail, Sarah 2000 pp.19–20"/> In 1874, the Portsmouth Corporation closed part of the common for private development which lead to four days of rioting.<ref name="battle">{{cite news|last=Williams |first=Joe |url=https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/people/battle-of-southsea-open-yam-mouth-cic-announce-project-to-mark-historical-event-4561572|title=Battle of Southsea: Open Ya Mouth CIC announce project to commemorate little known historical event|work=The News |location=Portsmouth |publication-date=2024-03-19|access-date=2024-04-05}}</ref> These riots became known as the "Battle of Southsea".<ref name="battle"/> The police and army eventually dispersed the crowd but the development plans were abandoned.<ref name="battle"/>

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 the [[2008 FA Cup Final]]. It also hosts the annual Portsmouth Pride celebrations, where in 2024 an estimated 20,000 people were in attendance. The Portsmouth Pride dates for 2025 is on 7 June 2025, starting at The Briny restaurant.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Portsmouth Pride 2025 - Pride 2025 |url=https://pride2025.co.uk/event/portsmouth-pride-2025}}</ref> 

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 [[Elizabeth II|HM Queen Elizabeth II]] and [[President of the United States|US President]] [[Bill Clinton]]. The service 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 2005|International Fleet Review]] and evening firework display.

In August 2010, "[[Ultrasauros (sculpture)|Ultrasauros]]", a life-size (52&nbsp;ft high) model of an [[ultrasauros]] dinosaur was erected on the common in conjunction with the Portsmouth's [[Aspex Gallery]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Dinosaur takes up residence on Southsea Common |url=http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/Dinosaur-takes-up-residence-on.6451323.jp|publisher=The News|location=Portsmouth|access-date=3 October 2010|publication-date=2 August 2010 }}</ref> The sculpture was destroyed by a fire, thought to have been caused by an electrical fault, on 1 October.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-11482856|title=Dinosaur model fire on Southsea Common 'not arson'|publisher=BBC News|publication-date=6 October 2011|access-date=2016-10-03}}</ref>

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 was announced that a new [[Parkrun]] would begin along Southsea seafront in October 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Announcing the start of Southsea Parkrun|date=9 September 2013 |url=http://www.parkrun.org.uk/southsea/news/2013/09/09/announcing-the-start-of-southsea-parkrun/|publisher=Parkrun|access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Judd|first=Emma|title=Keen runners invited to take part in new weekly timed races|url=http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/keen-runners-invited-to-take-part-in-new-weekly-timed-races-1-5508879|access-date=21 September 2013|newspaper=The News|date=19 September 2013}}</ref> As of February 2025 the Southsea Parkrun has hosted 525 events with an average finish time of 28 minutes and 50 seconds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=home {{!}} Southsea parkrun {{!}} Southsea parkrun |url=https://www.parkrun.org.uk/southsea/}}</ref>

In July 2015 and 2016 Southsea Common hosted the [[2015–16 America's Cup World Series|America's Cup World Series]] sailing event. The British sailing team Land Rover BAR is based in nearby Old Portsmouth.

===Trees===
[[File:Den Haag at Southsea.jpg|thumb|''[[Ulmus pumila]]'' hybrid]]
[[File:Southsea Beach.JPG|thumbnail|Southsea Beach]]
[[File:Peter Sellers Birthplace Portsmouth.jpg|thumb|[[Peter Sellers]]' birthplace on the corner of Castle Road and Southsea Terrace. The blue plaques read "Peter Sellers, Actor and Comedian was born here"]]
[[File:Southsea War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 1297412.jpg|thumb|Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Southsea]]

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 the larger trees are [[Huntingdon Elm]]s 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 (biology)|hybrid]] elm cultivar [[Ulmus 'Lobel'|'Lobel']].<ref name="Common">{{Cite news |url=http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/nostalgia/the-southsea-trees-which-escaped-disease-but-not-hurricane-1-6142130 |title=Southsea Common Trees |publisher=Portsmouth News |access-date=29 March 2015}}</ref>

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 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 the area, though these are not true palms, but more closely related to yuccas and agaves.<ref name="Common" />