Like its near neighbour (and long-time rival) Southampton, the twentieth century has not been kind to Portsmouth. Much of the historic High Street, once said to be one of most attractive in the country, was destroyed during the Second World War and sadly few buildings survived. As elsewhere, the post-war architecture was abysmal and bland. Well into the mid-nineteenth century Portsmouth town was restrained within military fortifications, bastions, gates and arrowhead moats. By the early 1900s, however, Portsmouth had begun to extend from its original urban settlement guarding the Camber: the naval docks and Harbour mouth, north out across Portsea Island, with row upon row of terraced streets swallowing up the farmland and small villages of North End, Kingston, Copnor, Milton, Fratton, Eastney and Hilsea. German bombs and post-war town planning has since transformed much of the heart of nineteenth century Portsmouth Old Town and Landport. As always, many interesting and historic buildings have been lost. Southsea still has an interesting mixture of both late-Regency and Edwardian seaside resort: with elegant backstreets of large nineteenth century middle-class houses, its own secluded shopping area, but leading into the more working-class districts around Albert Road and Fratton. While there is little that dates before the fifteenth century, there are many good examples of the sheer variety of English architectural styles, changing commercial fortunes and social history to be seen since then. And, in buildings like the Spinnaker Tower and Admiralty Tower, attractive and elegant examples of innovative design for the twenty-first century also.