Walk with Horton - Town Camber Portsmouth

Town Camber in Old Portsmouth, on the south coast of England, a small, atmospheric working harbour, with fishing boats, visitors and the ever-present movement of the tide.

But look beyond the boats and the water, and you're looking at a place with a remarkable history.

This is where the story of Portsmouth really began.

The beginnings of Portsmouth

Around 1180, the Norman merchant Jean de Gisors recognised the potential of this sheltered harbour for trade with Normandy.

A settlement grew around the Camber, eventually becoming the heart of the medieval town.

The harbour was ideally placed. Portsmouth sits on the Solent, with access to the English Channel and sheltered waters that made it an important place for ships and trade.

The Town Camber also became the site of Portsmouth's oldest commercial docks.

For centuries, this was a place where people, ships and goods arrived from across the water.

And that brings us to one of the more intriguing stories associated with these quays.

Drake, tobacco and potatoes

In 1586, Sir Francis Drake returned to England after his voyage to the Americas, and tobacco and potatoes were brought ashore at Portsmouth.

The story that these were the first tobacco and potatoes to arrive in England is often associated with Portsmouth, although the historical evidence for precisely where they first arrived remains debated.

But whether or not Portsmouth can claim that distinction, the story tells us something important about the character of the town.

Portsmouth has always been connected to the sea.

Ships arrived here.

People arrived here.

Goods arrived here.

And ideas and influences came with them.

That constant movement across the water is one of the things that makes Portsmouth such a fascinating setting for a crime writer.

From history to crime fiction

The Town Camber is also one of the real locations that has inspired my DI Andy Horton Solent Murder Mysteries.

When I'm walking around somewhere like this, I'm not simply looking at the buildings and the boats.

I'm looking at the details.

The water.

The tides.

The narrow streets.

The people coming and going.

The places where someone could disappear from view.

And sometimes I find myself asking the simplest question a crime writer can ask:

What if?

That is where imagination takes over.

The real place remains exactly as it is — but in a novel, it can become something else entirely.