Southsea is a
seaside resort and geographic area, located in
Portsmouth at the southern end of
Portsea Island,
Hampshire,
England. Southsea is located to the south of Portsmouth city centre and to the east of
Old Portsmouth. It originally developed as
Victorian seaside resort in the 19th century and grew into a dense residential
suburb and large distinct commercial and entertainment area, separate from Portsmouth city centre itself. The name of the area originates from
Southsea Castle; a fort, located on the seafront and constructed in 1544 to help defend the
Solent and approaches to
Portsmouth Harbour.