Early History
The site was established as a naval ordnance yard in the late 17th century. Additional land was purchased to create further storage areas, eventually expanding the site to its present boundary wall in the 1870s. Gunwharf (known as HMS Vernon) was later to become the home of the Royal Navy's Mine Countermeasures ships and training facilities, and the Captain Weapons Trials Unit.
Although many of the buildings on the site prior to redevelopment dated from the twentieth century, a number of older buildings have survived and been retained on the site. These include the Vulcan Building, Infirmary Building and the Board of Ordnance Offices, all listed buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monuments. The Boundary Wall and Main Gate are also listed, and the whole site was designated a conservation area in 1992.
A Naval Site
Many key events in naval history have begun or ended at Gunwharf. Admiral Lord Nelson armed the Victory here before setting sail for Trafalgar. It provided a hospital and barracks for the Royal Marines up to 1901, and was later home to the Naval Torpedo School. As the Royal Navy's main ordnance store, the site was strategically important in preparations for the D-Day landings.
Its origins as a dock stretch back to Richard I, the 'Lionheart', who in 1194 let out land for the development of a dockyard and built a dock for royal galleys. Then, the shoreline was around 300m further back from where it is today, close to the existing perimeter wall at Gunwharf Road. Over the centuries, Gunwharf was progressively reclaimed from the sea. At one time, there was a mill pond with a channel leading from the harbour to the reclaimed shoreline. Berkeley Homes have re-opened this waterway and it now forms the central water feature.
Gunwharf
By the late 17th century, Gunwharf had become an ordnance yard, storing gunpowder, cannon balls and weapons. The site grew in importance and was developed extensively in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Buildings which still exist on the site were constructed - the Old Infirmary (a hospital for Royal Marines wounded in battle - look carefully at the brickwork and you can see their names and dates), Lock Keepers Cottage, the Old Customs and Excise House and the Vulcan Building.
In 1919, the site was renamed HMS Vernon after a wooden line-of-battle sailing ship. The figurehead survives and can be seen on the east side of the shopping complex. For many years, it was the centre for development and training of torpedoes and torpedo men. It was also famous for its clearance diving team and the Deep-diving Trials Unit, who cleared hundreds of submerged mines around Britain's coats.
Before 1977, visitors to this part of Portsmouth would have been greeted by the sad sight of a derelict Ministry of Defence property. A naval base since the 1500's, Gunwharf fell into disuse and was finally closed in the 1980's.
