Southsea is a seaside area in which English city?

Southsea is a seaside resort in the city of Portsmouth, England. It is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) south of the city centre. During the 19th century, the area was known as Croxton Town, after the man who owned the land. It later adopted the name Southsea after the nearby castle of the same name.

The seaside resort is home to South Parade Pier, which was opened by Princess (Augusta) Edward of Saxe-Weimar (1827-1904) in 1879. A passenger steamer service operated from the pier, taking people across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. During the Second World War, parts of the pier were dismantled to prevent invasion. A restoration project at the beginning of the 21st-century eventually returned it to its former glory in 2017.

Further out at sea are the remains of four round forts. These were built during the 1860s in an attempt to barricade the city against the threat of invasion. The initiative was ordered by Prime Minister Viscount Palmerston (1784-1865), but the threat of invasion never materialised. As a result, the forts became known as Palmerston's Folly.

The beach at Southsea is mostly flint and gravel, therefore does not live up to typical British beach holiday standards. Yet, South Parade Pier and Clarence Pier, which opened in 1861, contain amusement arcades, which attract the holidaymakers.

Several famous people have come from Southsea, including engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and 'The Goon Show' actor Peter Sellers.