Sussex

 My wife and I have just returned from a very enjoyable coach tour to West Sussex.   There were several organised trips, but on one of our "leisure" days we decided to go to Chichester, which is well worth a visit if you haven't already been there.  Close to the glorious cathedral there are remains of the city walls, which date back to Roman times.   They fell into disrepair several times, but in time of need they were repaired and provided some security for the inhabitants up until the Civil Wars of the 17th century.  In December 1642 the city was besieged by William Waller and surrendered after six days. 

After a light lunch we went to the Novium Museum link .  There is a fascinating display called 'Mystery Warrior: North Bersted Man'.  Archaeologists discovered the grave of an Iron Age warrior and further research and analysis revealed that he probably came from Gaul c 50BC.  The most surprising element within the burial were the warrior's helmet and crest. 

One of the two crests found in the grave

The helmet and clasps

A reconstruction of the helmet with its crests

Artist impression of the warrior

There are a couple of videos produced by the Novium Museum about Bersted Man on you tube. 

On our final day we went to Portsmouth.  We had some free time in the morning, but not enough to do justice to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and Museum of the Royal Navy, sadly that will need to wait for another trip.  However I did get a couple of photos of HMS Warrior.

After lunch it was off to Southsea and the D Day Story museum.  As with all modern museums it contains a mix of audio-visual presentations and large and small exhibits.

An armoured recovery vehicle

Outside the entrance to the museum was a LCT, complete with a couple of tanks.  I hadn't appreciated how large these vessels were until I stood on the ramp and saw how small the tanks looked.

That being said the space for the crews (tank and vessel) was pretty limited.  Moving around while the vessel crossed the channel must have been hazardous with plenty of rivet heads to trip over and hard edges to fall against.

Very close to the D Day Story is Southsea Castle, one of the chain of coastal castles built by Henry VIII.  Once again we were short of time, but I did manage to visit the central keep.

A very enjoyable trip and one that has suggested to me that a further visit to the area would be justified.