Coastal New England Charm - Portsmouth, NH

Cute Downtowns

Aug 26

Downtown Portsmouth is a very walkable historic seaport city. It was once one of the nation’s busiest ports and shipbuilding cities and its depth is expressed in the fine architecture. There are significant examples of Colonial, Georgian and Federal style houses; some are now museums.

A fire in 1813 destroyed 244 buildings, and it prompted the creation of a new fire district. The new district required all new buildings be built of brick with slate roofs, creating the downtown’s distinctive appearance.

Unfortunately, when I visited the Portsmouth area, the Strawberry Banke Museum was not open. Guess I will just have to return again.

Here is what caught my eye, I hope you enjoy!

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Historic North Church of Christ in Market Square was built in 1657, rebuilt in 1854 and restored in 1978.

Downtown street mural

WWI Memorial Bridge from Bow Street

Cup of Joe on Market Street

Wash your hands - no seriously!

The historic building storefront with awning at Putting’ On The Glitz

Store window display

Downtown street Art

COVID Precaution outside a historic building storefront

This is the Georgian-style Moffatt-Ladd House, built in 1763; it operates as a house museum.

The Atlantic Ocean and Piscataqua River define the seacoast here. Since the 1930’s, this pier has been home to several tugs that guide tankers and other large commercial vessels through the Piscataqua River channel.

The New Hampshire Bank building was built in 1803 and was the nation’s oldest operating bank bulding up until 1977.

Downtown street mural

World War I Memorial Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge connecting New Hampshire and Maine, built in 2013, replacing a similar design bridge built in 1923.

WWI Memorial Bridge has a dedication plaque that reads “Memorial to the Sailors and Soldiers of New Hampshire who gave their lives in World War 1917 - 1919”. The 1,201-foot bridge is the only Piscataqua River bridge that allows pedestrians and bicycles.