What is "paulsgrove"

Paulsgrove is an area of northern Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. Paulsgrove existed as a small hamlet on the old Portsmouth to Southampton road for many years. During the early twentieth century Paulsgrove Racecourse was built north of the village on the slopes of Portsdown Hill and a halt built to cater for raceday traffic. The area was incorporated into the city of Portsmouth in 1920. The population of the Portsmouth Ward at the 2011 Census was 14,010.

Towards the end of World War II it became clear that to the City Council that a massive programme of house building was needed to replace those homes destroyed by bombing. As part of this programme, land in Paulsgrove was purchased and building began in 1945. The initial housing was prefabricated but later houses were built more conventionally.

In August 2000, Paulsgrove made the national and international news as mobs of local residents attacked residences of suspected and convicted paedophiles and other sex offenders. These disturbances came shortly after the News of the World put pressure on the government to give parents the right to know if their children are living close to a convicted sex offender, in response to the murder of Sarah Payne.