Fans finally get chance to see Pompey Champions of England exhibition
Posted on 4th Mar 2022 by David Taylor
Fans finally get chance to see Pompey Champions of England exhibition
After nearly three years in the making, Pompey fans will finally get the chance to see a permanent exhibition commemorating the club's successive title wins just after the second world war.
Led by the Pompey History Society and supported by the Heritage Fund, the project started in 2019, but the global pandemic has restricted how the society has been able to share the project outcomes.
Almost 40 people who were around when Pompey won the first division title in 1949 and 1950 have been interviewed to capture their memories for posterity. In addition the society had curated hundreds of photos and cuttings from the era, which can be browsed on this website.
On Sunday March 20, from 10.30am, the Pompey History Society is able to open the permanent exhibition at Fratton Park to the public for the first time. As part of the annual programme and memorabilia fair, the society is hosting free guided tours of the exhibition which is in the club's historic South Stand.
Spaces are limited so pre-booking is recommended. More details of the event and how to book are available here
Colin Farmery, Chair of the society, said: "I am really pleased fans are finally going to be able to get to see the exhibition. Covid restrictions have made it impossible to do this yet.
"The exhibition was actually installed last October, but restrictions tightened again in the late autumn, meaning we had to put back plans for a public opening.
"It forms two parts: first the themed memories of the people who were there at the time and secondly a timeline from August 1948 to May 1950 which tells the week-by-week story of how Pompey dominated English football.
"It is a bit like the club's very own 'Bayeux Tapestry' telling the extraordinary story through the eyes of the ordinary people who witnessed it," added Colin.
The project was initially led by Samantha Middleton MA, supported by Michelle Saunders, but since the pandemic struck the committee of the Pompey History Society has continued her work.
There is also a book about the project currently in production, which is due to be published in the late summer.
