Portsmouth enrols 23,000 students and is ranked among the world's best modern universities. Portsmouth is also the birthplace of author Charles Dickens and engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The Romans built Portus Adurni, a fort, at nearby Portchester in the late third century. The city's Old English name "Portesmuða" is derived from "port", meaning a haven, and "muða", the mouth of a large river or estuary. The "Anglo-Saxon Chronicle" has a warrior called Port and his two sons killing a noble Briton in Portsmouth in 501. Winston Churchill, in his "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples", says that Port was a pirate
Fortifications of Portsmouth new defensive line being constructed between the two moats. A ravelin was added at Landport where the London road entered the city. On the shoreline a new battery was built at the end of Portsmouth point facing Gosport. Another battery,this one with 18 guns, was built that connected to the round tower with a further battery constructed between the square tower and the saluting platform. Beyond this battery, but connected to it by an underground tunnel, Spur redoubt was constructed. While the towns defences were being strengthened some thought appears to have been given to their aesthetic appearance. In 1665