HMS Victory was launched in 1765 at Chatham Dockyard and commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1778. She continued in active service for 34 years including the famous Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. In 1812 the Victory was retired from frontline duty and anchored in Portsmouth Harbour. For the next 110 years she remained at her moorings in Portsmouth Harbour fulfilling a combination of practical and ceremonial roles. In 1922 amid fears for her survival, Victory was moved into Portsmouth's Royal Naval Dockyard and work began on restoring the Victory to her 'fighting' 1805 condition. Today HMS Victory is the world's oldest commissioned warship still in use as the flagship of the Second Sea Lord, Commander in Chief Naval Home Command. Click the image for a larger view of HMS Victory, and here for a stern view.

Strike Carrier HMS Illustrious in port for maintenance, "Lusty" is the fifth ship to bear her name Illustrious, built at Swan Hunters Ship Builders on the Tyne she was commissioned at her home port of Portsmouth in 1982. With her Air Group embarked she has a complement of over 1000 people, and can operate both rotary and fixed wing aircraft.

The Solent ~ Young and old enjoy a burst of speed on a jetski.

A good illustration of how the weather changes in the Solent. A short while before sunny and warm and now dark clouds, high winds with shafts of sun and somewhat chilly.

New Forest ~ A Fallow Buck standing proud with his fine set of antlers.

A forest Grey Squirrel on the hunt for acorns.

Ferns lit by a late autumn sun.

The Wren might be one of our smallest birds but what it lacks in size it makes up for with its warbling voice.

Windmills always seem to be synonymous with Norfolk, this one stands in the picturesque village of Cley Next the Sea on the North Norfolk coast.

East Anglia is probably best known for its cereal crops, farmers grow more than a quarter of England's wheat and barley. Last year out of the 1.4 million hectares of farmed land almost a third of it was used for the production of wheat.

The Norfolk village of Wells-Next-The-Sea is located a mile or so inland with a small channel allowing access for fishing boats and yachts to the harbour. In the late 16th century the town had much easier access to the sea and one of the major ports in the area. It reached its peak in the middle of the 19th century when the quay was built, and Wells three shipyards built over 60 ships in their yards.

Click on the image for a panorama looking down the channel towards the sea.

Native to tropical South America, one of the brightly coloured Scarlet Ibis at Pensthorpe Nature Reserve. Located several miles south of Wells the reserve was created 20 years ago by Bill Makins and provides 600 acres of precious habitat for birds, insects and plants. The reserve which plays an important role in local and national conservation projects is now owned by Bill and Deb Jordan of Jordan Cereals.

A Happy New Year to all Hampshirecam visitors, may all your dreams come true.

Caption details are based on the latest available  information and are accurate to the best of my knowledge. Although the images are heavily compressed you are welcome to use them for your own non-commercial use.   If you do please credit HampshireCam or add a link  to these  pages.

        All Photographs copyright David Packman © 2002 - 2009 (All Rights Reserved)