News

Gosport Heritage Open Days is privileged to feature in this year’s national Heritage Open Days press release. HERITAGE OPEN DAYS CELEBRATES 30 YEARS With A FESTIVAL OF ROUTES, NETWORKS & CONNECTIONS The country’s largest festival of history and culture returns with a packed programme of free events www.heritageopendays.org.uk 6th-15th September Heritage Open Days (HODs) returns […]

On 31 May 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew into RAF Gosport (Grange Airfield) in his one-man aircraft “Spirit of St Louis”. He arrived here after flying “Spirit of St Louis” non-stop from Roosevelt Airfield, Garden City (Long Island), New York, to Paris on 20/21 May 1927 (the first successful solo flight across the Atlantic). The flight, […]

Fred the Flour Grader (or simply just Fred) is the mascot of Homepride, a brand name that sells products in the UK for 2 companies, Kerry Group for Flour, and Premier Foods for Cooking Sauces. Fred was created in 1964 by the Geers Gross advertising agency, he began appearing in Television Adverts about Homepride Flour […]

‘CUT THROAT’ RAZOR The type properly referred to as straight razors, which reached their design zenith in the early 1900’s, have changed (to the untutored eye) very little since the late 1700’s. Yet in reality they have changed a good deal – including the very steel they are made from. Handles (or, more properly, scales) […]

Porcelain Pie Bird, Funnel or Vent What is the history of pie bird? According to author Linda Fields in her anthology Four & Twenty Blackbirds, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, the history of these “pie birds” can be traced to the Victorian era in Britain. Back then, bakers placed small cylindrical or hourglass-shaped ceramic funnels […]

This HAT BRIM iron was used to clear the brims of top hats and bowler hats to clean them. The iron was placed on a stove to heat up then used to iron the brim of the hats to ensure they were flat. This dates from 19th century. Have you got anything like this at […]

These are very clever mobile hair curlers with their own heating system! Paraffin was poured into the circular well, the wick was lit and the curling tongs were put on top of the device to heat up and curl the hair. The first hair curler made its appearance in 1872 but this set with its […]

What are these strange photos of? How are they used ? How old are they? These collar and cuff crimping irons were used to put tiny pleats and ruffles into freshly laundered and starched cuffs and collars for men’s shirts. The crimpers are made of wood and brass and were heated up on the stove […]

Come and join us at Gosport Museum and Art Gallery at 1800 for our Annual General Meeting where you find out about what we do, why we are celebrating 30 years and the 2024 theme. This year we have a European theme around heritage routes, networks and connections looking at how people and ideas have […]

To get involved and organise heritage events 6-15 September 2024 2024 sees the country’s largest festival of history and culture returning to Gosport on 6-15 September, 30 years after Heritage Open Days (HODs) started. Now Gosport HODS is looking for event organisers, history buffs and volunteers itching to get involved. The 2024 European heritage routes, […]

“Before the Borough” by Philip Eley (40 A4-sized pages of text with a number of monochrome illustrations), is the sixth title in the Gosport Papers series. It was published in September 2022 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Borough of Gosport, which resulted in the Gosport and Alverstoke Urban District Council […]

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