Monument MPM1922 - Monument, Cambridge Road

Stone monument situated within the grounds of the Armed Forces Careers Centre in Cambridge Road. Origin unknown. It has been suggested that it might mark the site of a dogs grave.

Stone monument situated within the grounds of the Armed Forces Careers Centre in Cambridge Road. The monument consists of a small obelisk on a plinth. An article which appeared in the Evening News on the 7th September 1961 stated that it bears the inscription 'In Memory of Nelson' although a later article (date unknown) suggests the inscription is no longer visible due to weathering.

The monuments origin is not known, but it is not thought to relate to Admiral Lord Nelson. It has been suggested that the monument marks a dogs grave, possibly a regimental mascot buried in c1850, but there is no historical evidence to confirm this.

The area in which the monument is situated fell within the outer part of the Portsmouth line of defences which were demolished during the 1860s/1870s. This would suggest that it would be of a post-1870 date, unless it had been moved from another site. The building now occupied by the Armed Forces Careers Centre was constructed between 1910 and 1932. The monument is marked on the 1952 Ordnance Survey map.

Sherwood, Cynthia, ?, Monuments of Portsmouth (Index). SPM372.

Ordnance Survey, 1870, Ordnance Survey Map 1870 (Map). SPM282.

Ordnance Survey, 1910, Ordnance Survey Map 1910 (Map). SPM266.

Ordnance Survey, 1932, Ordnance Survey Map 1932 (Map). SPM354.

Ordnance Survey, 1952, Ordnance Survey Map 1952 (Map). SPM67.