AD – This Spinnaker Tower experience was complimentary, with no obligation to review.
Portsmouth has a lot to offer to tourists and locals alike – there’s so much to do in the seafront city that you really are spoilt for choice. One of my favourite tourist attractions in the city and a very recognisable landmark is The Spinnaker Tower. Located in the bustling Gunwharf Quays outlet shopping centre, The Spinnaker Tower stands proudly overlooking the city and the surrounding areas of Portsmouth Harbour, Gosport and the Solent. The Spinnaker Tower was kind enough to offer us complimentary entry to the tower, so last Saturday we headed up to explore and admire the view. Unfortunately, we visited the tower in the middle of a storm – so the below picture (taken a few days before our visit) isn’t the weather we experienced!
I’ve been up The Spinnaker Tower a couple of times before, but not for several years – so I was really quite excited to head up the 170 metres to the top again. The entrance is tucked away near Caffe Nero in Gunwharf Quays, and standard entry for an adult costs £14.95 (or £11.95 if you book online).
The Spinnaker Tower started construction back in 2001, with the tower reaching completion and finally opening in 2005. It was a long and complicated construction project! For those interested in the construction, here are some impressive facts for you:
- The concrete used to build the Tower would fill five-and-a-half Olympic-sized swimming pools
- The total weight of the Tower exceeds 30,000 tonnes
- The 27m spire weighs 14 tonnes
- 1200 tonnes of structural steel used to form the Tower’s distinctive bows is the equivalent weight of 12 blue whales
As you enter, you are shown a short informative video about the history of Portsmouth, outlining some of the sights you might be able to see from the top of the tower and the interesting facts about them. A lot of the facts about Portsmouth I didn’t know and it was all quite interesting, so I thought I’d summarise some of my highlights for you!
- Portchester Castle – visible beyond the Historic Dockyard from the lower viewing deck, Portchester Castle was built as a Roman fort back in the 3rd century. The fort has been well preserved and fairly consistently occupied over the years, and is currently open to the public as an English Heritage site.
- Southsea Castle – in 1527 Henry VIII build a fort which became known as Southsea Castle.
- Mary Rose – in 1510, the famous Mary Rose warship was built in Portsmouth Dockyard. She sank in the Solent in 1545, and you can now see the wreck of the ship at the musum in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born in Portsmouth in 1806 – there’s no historic building for you to see from the tower, but there is a Wetherspoons pub named after him near the guildhall!
- Portsmouth Guildhall – constructed in 1890 and originally used by the council, the building was known as Portsmouth Town Hall until 1926. Now, the guildhall is used for concerts and events (my graduation was held inside!)
- Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth – you can visit the Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum now, and learn more about life in the 1810s.
- Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his first two Sherlock Holmes novels while living in Portsmouth, and you can visit an exhibition of his works at the Portsmouth City Museum.
- HMS Victory – famous for being Lord Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory was permanently dry docked in Portsmouth Dockyard in 1922.
You might also like this post, Victorian Festival of Christmas at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
After your brief history lesson, you’re ushered into a lift and taken up to the lower viewing deck. The lower deck stands 100 metres above sea level – and it definitely feels like it.
From the viewing decks you are able to see panoramic views across 23 miles, stretching as far as the eye can see (a little less on our visit due to the weather).
Here are some more interesting facts about the iconic Spinnaker Tower:
- The Tower has received over 2.5 million visitors since opening
- The high speed internal lift travels at 4 metres per second, taking you to the View Decks in just 30 seconds
- 115 metres up and in high winds, the Tower can flex approximately 150mm (we could definitely feel it moving on our visit!)
- There are 560 steps from the base up to View Deck 3, the Sky Deck
Above is the view across to Gosport, with the Gosport Ferries completing their crossings and both Gosport Marina and Royal Clarence Marina in the background.
Below you can see the views across the city of Portsmouth, with Gunwharf Quays in the foreground and the rest of the city stretched out behind.
As you can see, even in the height of a storm The Spinnaker Tower still has fantastic views to offer.
The Historic Dockyard is one of my favourite places in Portsmouth – home to a huge amount of naval history, and one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city.
From The Spinnaker Tower you can see the HMS Warrior in the foreground, HMS Victory inside the dockyard, the Mary Rose Museum and the two aircraft carriers – if you’re lucky!
Portsmouth Harbour is a busy domestic and commercial port, with plenty of cruise liners, container ships and Wightlink ferries coming and going – alongside a host of powerboats & yachts, when the weather is a little nicer.
On the middle deck you’ll find the Clouds Cafe – located 105 metres above the water and offering unrivalled lunch views across Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent. They offer afternoon teas and treats throughout the day – somewhere I’d love to visit for lunch with a view!
The upper deck, the Sky Garden, is open to the elements with just a thin mesh for a ceiling – which meant, on our visit, that it was really rather wet! Perfect for sunny days sightseeing, the Sky Garden is much smaller than the other viewing decks and looks to be a good place to sit and absorb the views.
After exploring the upper levels of the tower, we returned to the main lower viewing deck – and Tom, feeling braver than I was, took off his shoes and walked across the glass panel embedded in the floor – the Sky Walk. Towering 100 metres above sea level, the glass is only 60mm thick and definitely gives you the wobbles if you’re not so keen on heights. The children visiting seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, as did Tom.
Perhaps next time I’ll be brave enough to give it a go!
While on the lower deck I spotted a coin souvenir machine – nostalgia completely took over and I couldn’t resist embossing and taking home my own souvenir coin.
As you can tell, The Spinnaker Tower is a fantastic place to explore and I’d recommend a visit to anyone planning a trip to Portsmouth – and any locals who haven’t already visited would love it too. We certainly enjoyed it!
Find out more about The Spinnaker Tower and how to book a ticket here. They hold special events throughout the year as well, so head to their what’s on page to see if anything takes your fancy.
You might also like this post, 5 things I love about my hometown, Portsmouth
Do you have a favourite attraction in Portsmouth?
PIN IT FOR LATER
Excellent review of The spinnaker Tower, the view from the top is amazing…despite the storm. Certainly worth a visit 👍