The Portsmouth Society - News
| News | Trafalgar House Mural - A Portsmouth Treasure but dimly revealed | |
| Earlier news Trafalgar House Mural |
Eric Rimmington's 1940s mural is a now (very dimly) visible in the right hand side lower bar of the new Lloyd's No.1 Bar in Trafalgar House, Edinburgh Road. It is the reason why the former naval and later polytechnic hostel was listed. We are writing to Wetherspoon's to ask them to replace the shiny glass with a non-reflective cover - and to light the mural better. The super-pub, with its giant window onto Edinburgh Road opened in the last week in July. It is already full of customers. To our surprise, photos of the building and historical notes on display don't mention the mural: "The name of this Wetherspoon Bar recalls Lord Horatio Nelson's epic victory off the Cape of Trafalgar on the south coast of Spain in 1805. It also recalls the former use of this building, when it was Trafalgar House, known to generations as the 'Traf'". It first opened in 1906, to provide "a community centre and Christian fellowship", which was so popular that it was soon extended in 1949, renamed the Trafalgar Club, and underwent major reconstruction. When it closed in the 1970s more than 4.5 million servicemen had used it. The building then became a hall of residence for Portsmouth Polytechnic and its successor, the University of Portsmouth". Wetherspoons have apparently abandoned their idea of a hotel upstairs - except for staff accommodation. This is a bad idea, if you consider the deteriorating state of the upper floors of Wetherspoon's Brunel pub in the Guildhall Square in the former Gas Offices. Couldn't Wetherspoons get together with a housing association or co-operative to provide flats in the upper floors of both buildings? City centre living is supposed to be returning. We will suggest this to PHA. Celia Clark |