Centre of Excellence for Heritage Innovation

A sneak peek at the Placed in a Fortress City Exhibition!

Last Friday we welcomed our friends from partner organisations across Portsmouth to the exhibition preview of 'Placed in a Fortress City', including Portsmouth City Council, The D-Day Story, Portsmouth Historic Quarter, Royal Navy Museums and the University of Portsmouth.

This exhibition is the culmination of hard work from our co-director Dr Tarek Teba, colleagues Nicola Crowson and Dana AlSultan, and local lead artists Evagelia Hagikalfa and Thaïs Verhasselt. The project explores people's relationship with Portsmouth and its historic fortifications, namely Hilsea Lines and Old Portsmouth, highlighting the personal and collective voices that continue to define the city today, and presents work from a series of community workshops, including cyanotypes, photographs, maps, collages, and stories.
The exhibition will be open during August, so pop down to the Reflectory Room, Eldon Building, Middle Street, Portsmouth (PO1 2DJ) and take a look!

But we're not done yet! This exhibition is only the start of this innovative project, part two seeks to expand on the historic defence locations used for the project and engage more people to tell the Portsmouth stories that are meaningful to them, with an exhibition coming in December 2026.

Thank you to Portsmouth 100, Portsmouth City Council, Portsmouth Creates and Portsmouth Museum & Art Gallery for their ongoing support with this project.

What an inspiring afternoon at Milton Locks!

Situated to the east of Portsmouth, Milton Locks is far more than a forgotten structure. It is a rare piece of Portsmouth's industrial and maritime heritage with enormous potential to become a place for education, community engagement, heritage skills training and environmental stewardship.

The Sustainable Conservation Trust (SCT) was delighted to bring together students, local residents, heritage professionals, community organisations and volunteers for a practical heritage skills workshop exploring the history, significance and future of one of Portsmouth's most remarkable yet overlooked historic sites.

The hands-on session gave participants the opportunity to understand how conservation professionals investigate historic structures before developing sensitive restoration proposals. From recording historic fabric and analysing original mortars to learning traditional pointing techniques, the workshop offered a genuine insight into the craft of building conservation.

Organised by SCT in collaboration with the University of Portsmouth's Centre of Excellence for Heritage Innovation and The Portsmouth Society, and supported by Milton Neighbourhood Forum, Langstone Harbour Fishermen's Association and Portsmouth City Council, the workshop demonstrated the value of bringing people together around a shared heritage asset.

Particular thanks go to Deane Clark and Dr Celia Clark, and to master stonemason Adam Stone. We were also pleased to welcome representatives from the Langstone Harbour Fishermen's Association, the leaseholders of Milton Locks.

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to such a positive and inspiring day. We look forward to working together to help secure a sustainable future for Milton Locks.

You may know that over the past few months we have been spearheading a project called 'Placed in a Fortress City', that explores memory, place, and belonging in Portsmouth.

We are now ready to showcase the work created as part of this project and would like to invite you to join us for the preview of Placed in a Fortress City. Please come and celebrate with us, meet the artists and project team, and gain an insight into this evolving exploration of memory, place, and belonging in Portsmouth. This work features as part of Portsmouth 100, a celebration of 100 years of Portsmouth's city status.

Developed by the Centre of Excellence for Heritage Innovation in collaboration with lead artists Evagelia Hagikalfa and Thaïs Verhasselt, and supported by Portsmouth 100 and Portsmouth City Council, the exhibition presents work in progress featuring cyanotypes, photographs, collages, and stories created through a series of community workshops. Inspired by Portsmouth’s historic fortifications and shaped by the experiences of those who live, work, and study here, the exhibition highlights the personal and collective voices that continue to define the city today.

Everyone is welcome to celebrate the participants’ contributions and discover the creative processes behind the project.

🧭 Friday 24 July 2026, from 5.15–7.15pm
📍 Reflectory Room, Eldon Building, Middle Street, Portsmouth PO1 2DJ

Please book your place here:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=fDBSAE1W3E-YeVpEbPbHRvGOdXWIRBdMgGIr1eVH1ilUNTVWREJHOE5LN1NIMUFGV01WRUxORllKRC4u

Tarek Teba
Portsmouth Creates
We Are Pompey 2029
Portsmouth School of Architecture
University of Portsmouth CCI
University of Portsmouth
University of Portsmouth Alumni

New exhibition!

Marking 100 years of Portsmouth becoming a city, the ‘Town, City and Gown’ exhibition steps back in time to document college life in 1920’s Portsmouth at the University’s predecessor institutions.

On display in Ravelin Sports Centre (Portsmouth, PO1, 2SE) until the end of July, discover these fascinating stories and be transported into the past to discover student life in Portsmouth 100 years ago.

Using archival materials from the University of Portsmouth Archive and Portsmouth History Centre, produced in association with us at the Centre of Excellence for Heritage Innovation and Portsmouth 100.

We would like to thank:
- Dr Jodi Burkett and Anna Delaney for producing the exhibition
- Professor Georgina Brewis, UCL
- Disability staff network
- Professor Daniel Laqua, Northumbria University
- Gareth Pearse
- Portsmouth History Centre, Portsmouth City Council Official Portsmouth libraries and Archives
- Portsmouth Literary Map
- Dr Annabel Tremlett

Tarek Teba
UOP Sport and Recreation
University of Portsmouth Alumni

Interested in learning about traditional conservation methods and heritage skills?

We have partnered with the Sustainable Conservation Trust to bring you a half-day practical heritage workshop, introducing participants to traditional conservation methods, natural building materials, and the heritage significance of the Portsmouth & Arundel Canal.

The workshop will combine site interpretation, practical demonstrations, community discussion, and introductory conservation activities, bringing together students, volunteers, community members, local residents, and heritage enthusiasts for a hands-on introduction to heritage conservation and sustainable repair techniques within the unique setting of Milton Locks.

Organised by Sustainable Conservation Trust (SCT) in collaboration with us at the Centre of Excellence for Heritage Innovation and The Portsmouth Society, supported by Milton Neighbourhood Forum, Langstone Harbour Fishermen's Association and Portsmouth City Council.

🕚 10 July 2026, 12.30-3.30pm
📍 Milton Locks Nature Reserve, end of Locksway Road in Portsmouth, PO4 8LB.

Booking is essential and spaces are limited!

Milton Locks Heritage Skills Workshop Dive into hands-on fun at Milton Locks Heritage Skills Workshop and learn cool traditional crafts!

Join us for the latest workshop in our series ‘Placed in a Fortress City: Memory of Making and Belonging’.

Collage and memory-making workshop at Old Portsmouth

Last month we explored Old Portsmouth on a scavenger walk for items to use in cyanotype printing, celebrating this historic section of the city. This time we want to find out about your memories and personal recollections of Old Portsmouth!

Bring along a personal archive – a photograph, object, a memory – connected to Old Portsmouth. These will be used to inspire and create collages and photographic works, with the help of our artistic collaborators Thaïs Verhasselt and Evagelia Hagikalfa, to celebrate our city’s history, and it’s 100th anniversary of city status.

🧭 Saturday 4th July – Collage and memory-making workshop at Old Portsmouth
📍 Meet at Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery (Museum Road, PO1 2LJ)
🕚 11:00am | Duration: approx. 3 hours

Getting there:
Public transport: Bus routes N3, 23 & 700 (stop: Cambridge Junction)
Train: Portsmouth and Southsea Station – then bus or walk

Register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=fDBSAE1W3E-YeVpEbPbHRvGOdXWIRBdMgGIr1eVH1ilUQjU4WTNaMjFQRUxVUVNNRUZUNDFQRDk0Ui4u

Co-funded by Portsmouth 100, Portsmouth City Counciland is part of the programme.

Tarek Teba
Portsmouth Creates
We Are Pompey 2029
Portsmouth School of Architecture
University of Portsmouth CCI
Portsmouth & Gosport History
University of Portsmouth

Join Historic England for a behind the scenes tour of Fort Cumberland!

Not usually open to the public, this historic 17th century fort at Eastney Point is home to Historic England's Archaeological Science laboratories and archives. It is also an important habitat for numerous coastal species. The tour involves a nature walk around the site and laboratory tour to see where archaeological and heritage science analysis and research take place.

This event is part of the Council for British Archaeology’s (ArchaeologyUK) 2026 Festival of Archaeology. The theme for this year is Nature and Archaeology.

📅 1st August 2026, one tour at 10am to 11am, and a second in the afternoon 2pm-3pm.
✅ Booking is essential!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fort-cumberland-nature-walk-and-lab-tour-tickets-1992112930401?aff=oddtdtcreator

Tarek Teba
Portsmouth & Gosport History
Portsmouth School of Architecture

Fort Cumberland Nature Walk and Lab Tour Join us for a nature walk around Fort Cumberland, spot wildlife, and see our laboratories

Voices of Courage: Refugee Week 2026 at the University of Portsmouth

A celebration of home, belonging, and the human spirit

Refugee Week is a UK-wide annual celebration held every June, bringing together communities, organisations, and universities to honour the contributions of refugees and promote a culture of welcome and understanding. This year's theme is Courage, recognising the extraordinary strength and resilience of people who have been forced to leave their homes and rebuild their lives in new places.

At the University of Portsmouth, as part of this event, which has been funded by the University of Portsmouth Research Culture Fund, we are proud to mark Refugee Week 2026 with a special event that invites students and staff to come together, share stories, and reflect on what home and belonging mean to us all.

Join the main event taking place this Friday, 19 June 2026, from 11:00 am to 2:30 pm in the Portland Building. It will include an exhibition, an embroidery circle, a light lunch, an online guest contribution from Tom Green of Counterpoints Arts, two short film screenings, and an informal discussion.

This event is free but booking is essential: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/refugee-week-2026-tickets-1991181548613?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios&sg=760b902cbb276ac68e800688dcdd0859b94d802f00c88ef863a6a69286a970cd1870c71867296cb8fcf8c2983c6b22d132f447cd2b59d60520b6f5c9b364e5b763add554f53431c95dbd731e12fb

See you there!

This event is organised by Majd Abuawad, Haneen Alkaraki, Marianela Barrios Aquino and Soudabeh Pashaei.

Tarek Teba
Portsmouth School of Architecture
University of Portsmouth CCI
Portsmouth City Council
Downtown Pompey
HIVE Portsmouth