Pound's Yard - Portsmouth.

Geoff,

Is that the yard that could be seen on the left from the A3 when entering Portsmouth? I remember that yard well, it always fascinated me, lots of very interesting leftovers. If I recall right there was a large submarine there.

Peter

 

Geoff?
It is indeed that one... errr... Dave .


Sorry Geoff, I mean Adam. I'll get it right one day.......

Regards

Dave (Peter, Tom, Dick or Harry)

 

I also remember there being landing craft in there as well: LCIs, LCAs - all sorts. When I was at Uni in Chi, I did pop up there once, but about 18 months ago went past it, and it looked pretty empty now?

 

My Dad has told me so many tales about this scrap
yard, he spent most of his youth down that way.
One of his stories was that he and a mate made
a canoe out of a sunderland flying boat float ,
they were chased out of the yard on so many
occasions. These stories were told everytime and
were a bit of a standing joke between me and my
brothers when we went visiting his Auntie in
Portsmouth .

 

The cadman BARV lay there for a while if I recall


I never got there myself but from what I've been told that it wasn't that easy to get in, you face had to fit and it was evidently a case of getting to see something specific and spot around to see what else could be seen.

Tankwise there were the following WW2 stuff in there and have been saved
5 or 6 Sherman BARVS
Churchill Mk7 or Crocodiles
Churchill ARV Mk2
40mm Bofors on c9 4x4
Sextons
M10s
Sherman M50 ok I know it Post War
T16 and universal carriers
AEC Command Vehicles (2)
Centaur dozers
he E100 may have been cut up in Pounds and I haveheard that a few Sherman DD might have ended up in the yard. They had a Churchill ARV Mk1 that they cut up thinking that it was a valueless turretless tank. but evidently that was Pounds for you.

There are other junk yards which members may be able to help with.

Wards Shefield were still cutting up tanks until recently and had Churchils and other WW2 types
The MVEE at Chertsey cleared out to various local junk yards and significantly a Panther was found in 1977.

~Steve

 

Adam; When I spotted the title, earlier this afters, I almost felt ye'd posted it to get me going!

Pounds'! Oh, boy! My Dad was a Trainer at the Dog Track. Some of his 'Paddocks' formed the literal boundary between Pounds' and the stadiums land. We're talking a six foot corrugated iron screen here! And we had a gate. Ye had to go through that to enter a sort of no mans land. That's where Dad had his burning box. Kind of box, made of girders, into which the bedding went. An eternal smoulder.

So I was brought up around there. Forty five plus years ago I became familiar with " Harry Pounds' ". Long, long before the moterway! I remember the battleship gray boats he had, where what would now be on the left, coming into Pompey. I think that bit's long since been reclaimed? But they were there. Dad told me how lads would throw rakes in and drag the sea weed away. Then fish for Flatties in the clear they'd created.

More importantly - to me - how the rabbits would jump off the bank there. He said they'd try to escape, but never knew how far the water went .....

How about that huge pile of big, black, metal balls? No idea what they were. Always scared me, lest they came down! Bloody things must've been a good eight foot in diamater! More? Long time ago.

The Sub's? Who could ever forget the sub's?! At least two of them, in my day. Possibly three?

Of course, back then it was Harry Pounds. Self made multi millionaire. These days? It's 'Young Harry'. If Harry Snr. was a bit of a misery, regarding people snooping round his land ~ for what ever reason? His son will be the b@stard to have razed and melted the lot. Dodgyer handshake that a ten armed monkey, mate. Portsmouth City Council, and those who Really control it? (Purely in my own, personal opinion, of course. No reflection on the views of this sites owners or membership) ..... virtually 100% Scum


Oh! That said? " Derelict Places "; What a cracking site! I'm signed up! I Love dereclict places! (Just as well; I live in one! )

 

Amazing to think that this stuff was laying around for so long. What 40 or 50 years? You'd think someone like the IWM would have been interested in acquiring some of this stock.

 

I think you are right about the preservation of vehicles being a fairly new phenomena, but to be honest it might be too late. Mind you with some of the stuff being found in Bulgaria and Russia..........

 

Pounds yard is pretty bare now, there are plans to redevelop the whole site as a 'gateway to Portsmouth' development.

Our BARV at the D-Day Museum came from Pounds, amongst other things.

 

I really does sound from the posts that this location was a real "Aladdins cave" over the years.

A great pity that it is lost.

Regards
Tom

 

The problem was that its the first thing most people see at the end of the M275 on driving into Portsmouth. And as interesting as it was, most people found it a bit of an eyesore. And of course its a prime site for development. There was talk about Pompey's new Stadium going there (although of course now our new 'stadium' will be a couple of jumpers for goalposts on Southsea Common...). Theres an RN/RM rifle range near the site too.

There are still some relics there, however - a D-Day era LCT that you can see from Google Earth, and I believe there are a couple of DUKW's and smaller Landing Craft there, as well as an old US Navy barge.

I can remember when they were breaking up the old Oberon and Porpoise Class submarines, quite a sight.

 

I've found this powerpoint presentation about the regeneration of Tipner. Its quite interesting, lots of graphics and photos. See if you can spot the LST in there...

http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/media/exec20080114r_app(3).pdf

 

Now don't get me started about old Pounds Yard, Bleeden dogs where trained by the SS as where the scrappys, you took your life in your hands if you got in there, but a great place for us kids to explore, The waters edge was black with old oil and a total environmental nightmare and very dangerous place to venture, but us kids had no fears in them days we only feared the smacking when we got home with are arses hanging out of are ripped trousers and covered in slimey black smelly oil

 

i wonder what stuff got pushed into the mud or buried and forgotten`or lies just under the surface of the water, i don't suppose we'll know until the site gets developed and the excavators go in. i'd bet there'd be mv buffs manning the scrap pile i know i will be

rick

 

While on one of my rare trips home to Pompey I passed the old Pounds yard and noted it has been cleaned up with just a little junk laying around.
Can anyone remember the old rusting hulk of a WW2 Submarine which sat close to the A27 Southampton road between Vosper Thornycroft and Port Solent and when it was removed, I left Portsmouth in the early 70s before all the area was reclamed to built Port Solent.
As a kid I and the other local Mudlarks used to nick a dingy and row out to it, we used to make up stories like there was a big octopus living inside waiting to squeeze the life out of any kids who dare venture on to it

 

Please see pictures of some of the stuff Mr Pounds has removed from the old site to one of the Forts on top of Portsdown hill, which he now owns. I have a few old slides of the laid up ships/subs in my collection but I will have to dig them out.

Paul

 

Paul,

Excellent photograph's, thank you for posting them.

Regards
Tom