Jobs in Portsmouth | Pictures of Portsmouth

With much of the city located on Portsea Island which is separated from the mainland by just 30m and where the Solent meets the English Channel, Portsmouth is the UK 's only island city, though it is generally referred to as a peninsula. Portsmouth has a population of 188,000 and is the second most densely populated city in the UK after London with 46.9 people per hectare.

Having suffered extensive bomb damage during World War Two, post-war redevelopment was characterised by sweeping – and often grotesque – architecture, with Portsmouth 's Tricorn Centre being the most obvious example.

However, a series of significant regeneration projects since the 1990s have transformed the city from an industrialised post-war city complete with dominating tower blocks into a modern, forward-thinking and attractive city with ambitious development plans.

Getting around Portsmouth
Portsmouth city centre has around 15 main car parks, operated by a number of different companies and just a handful by the local council. And they vary in rates. There are three main roads that link Portsmouth to the surrounding area: the A3 is on the direct route from London (2 hours) and the M25 orbital (1 hour). The M27/A36 is the easterly route into the city heading from Southampton, Bristol and the South Wales . And the A34/M40 link the north of the city to the centre.

First Hampshire & Dorset and Stagecoach buses serve the city and surrounding areas from The Hard - a few hundred yards from the historic dockyard - and Commercial Road South bus stations. New stops are planned upon completion of the Northern Quarter Development. Also operating from The Hard is National Express. And if you fancy making a late night of is, the Nightrunner service runs twice every Friday and Saturday night from South Parade Pier and Winston Churchill Avenue to North End and out of the city via Cosham to Paulsgrove, Havant and Leigh Park, at around 1:30am and 2:30am.

Portsmouth is served by six train stations that link the city to the surrounding areas: Portsmouth Harbour , Portsmouth & Southsea, Fratton, Hilsea and Corsham operated by Southern Railways, and linking to Bedhampton, Havant, Corsham. With South West Trains and First Great Western operating out of these stations, Portsmouth has direct route to Southampton, Bristol , Cardiff and London Victoria .

Although the city does not have its own dedicated airport, Southampton International Airport is just 22 miles away and provides services to domestic, Channel Islands , French and Dutch destinations. Gatwick is 60 miles away.

Being a coastal city, Portsmouth is well-served with a number of passenger ferry services linking the port with the Isle of Wight, Caen , Cherbourg , St Malo, Le Harve, Bilboa and the Channel Islands . Accessed via the M275, Portsmouth is the second busiest ferry port in the UK after Dover , handling around 3 million passengers each year.

Eating, drinking and shopping in Portsmouth
Portsmouth 's booming local economy since the late 1990s has seen the number of shops in the city grow dramatically. In the city centre itself, the main hub of shopping activity is still centred on Commercial Road and the Cascades Shopping Centre. However, recent developments have created new shopping areas such as the ever-popular and vibrant £230m Gunwharf Quays.

With over 90 designer outlets, 30 bars and restaurants, multiplex cinema and bowling alley, Gunwharf Quays has been credited with being the single most important commercial development of modern Portsmouth such as the £500m Northern Quarter redevelopment scheme which aims to transform this part of the city centre.

On the outskirts of the city lie a number of other key shopping areas, including Ocean Retail Park and the Bridge Centre.

Over the other side of Gunwharf Quays is the Historic Dockyard which - for obvious reasons - is aimed at the tourist market. Here you will find the main attractions that made Portsmouth famous: HMS Victory, Admiral Nelson's flagship and HMS Warrior – the Navy's first armoured battleship – are both showcased here.

As a dockyard city, Portsmouth has hosted a number of high profile events on the sailing calendar, including: the International Festival of the Sea, Times Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, the Cutty Sark Tall ships Race and the Global Challenge.

And dominating the skyline is the sail-like Spinnaker Tower, the tallest publicly accessible structure in the UK . Higher than the London Eye and Big Ben, the Tower's crow's nest offers views of over 20 miles on a clear day.

Heading towards the southern tip in Southsea is the D-Day Museum, which commemorates Portsmouth 's role as the principal assembly point for the D-Day Landings in 1944. The museum's centrepiece is the 270ft long Overlord Embroidery, a modern day Bayeux Tapestry.

Next to the museum stands Southsea Castle which is rumoured to be the spot where Henry VIII watched the Mary Rose sink in 1545. Indeed, not to be outdone by the busier Gunwharf Quays, Southsea is home to an eclectic mix of stylish and contemporary cafes, bars and other places to eat.

Culture has always been a dominant feature of Portsmouth life and the city's two theatres complement each other. The New Theatre Royal specialises in avant-garde, modern and classical performances. Whereas the newly restored Kings Theatre is the more traditional option, hosting a programme of music and orchestra.

Sport is also a key characteristic of the city. Portsmouth FC is the main football team who have been enjoying a relative degree of success under the tutelage of Harry Redknapp. And like many towns on the south coast, Portsmouth has a strong sailing, yachting and rowing fraternity. The city also boasts a number of health and fitness clubs with a number of national chains having branches in the city, including David Lloyd, Fitness First, Canons and Living Well.

Main residential areas
Like its maritime neighbour further along the Solent in Southampton, Portsmouth has taken advantage of its natural waterfront and redeveloped it into a highly desirable residential area, with a number of penthouse, town house and apartment blocks at Port Solent Marina, Gunwharf Quays and other former Navy sites.

However, given the fact that Portsmouth is increasingly becoming recognised as an attractive place to live and work and is still in a state of transition, house prices remain cost competitive compared the rest of the south east.

Southsea and Old Portsmouth are equally popular residential areas and often feature in those Best Places to live in Britain lists, with Fratton (home to Portsmouth FC) and North Southsea considered to be up and coming areas.

If you're thinking of moving to the area, take a look at some of the current property available to buy or let in Portsmouth.

Take a closer look
A picture is worth a thousand words. You can see some images from in and around Portsmouth below.

Looking for local vacancies? See all current jobs in Portsmouth or find out more information on the local area.