The new building that will be shared by the University of Portsmouth and the New Theatre Royal as part of the ongoing capital project has been named and will be known in the future as The White Swan Building.
Here are just two of the reasons why the name was chosen:
The corner of White Swan Road and Guildhall Walk, where the New Theatre Royal’s front aspect is located, is the site of the Brewhouse & Kitchen, Portsmouth’s first craft beer pub and independent micro-brewery. Making and serving Hampshire ales this independent establishment was previously know as the White Swan Tavern, its current architecture replacing an earlier public house of the same name thought to have been built in the mid 17th century just outside the old town walls, by the Landport Gate.
The area of Portsmouth called the Swan Fields was situated behind the current New Theatre Royal and the historical White Swan Tavern, where there were extensive ponds frequented by swans, possibly cared for by the nearby monks of Magdalen Chapel. The ponds provided fresh water for the town of Portsmouth but have now vanished beneath modern buildings although flooding of basements is a frequent occurrence in this area.