Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"Portsmouth" is a traditional English folk dance tune, similar to an Irish or Scottish hornpipe melody. It is sometimes referred to as the "Portsmouth Hornpipe".
"Portsmouth" appeared in the 11th edition of John Playford's The Dancing Master in 1701. It is also one of the three arrangements on which English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams based his Sea Songs, originally arranged for military band in 1923 as the second movement of his English Folk Song Suite, and subsequently re-arranged for full orchestra in 1942 by the composer. In the 1950s and early 60s it was used as the signature tune for BBC television series Billy Bunter, at the end of the show's run in electronic form. Popular musician Mike Oldfield recorded an arrangement of the instrumental in 1976. Released as a single, it is Oldfield's highest-charting single in the United Kingdom, where it reached number three.
Performed by the English Coronation Orchestra.
The painting by Dominic Serres depicts the British ship HMS Foudroyant towing the captured French ship Pégase into Portsmouth Harbour in 1782.
"Portsmouth" is a traditional English folk dance tune, similar to an Irish or Scottish hornpipe melody. It is sometimes referred to as the "Portsmouth Hornpipe".
"Portsmouth" appeared in the 11th edition of John Playford's The Dancing Master in 1701. It is also one of the three arrangements on which English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams based his Sea Songs, originally arranged for military band in 1923 as the second movement of his English Folk Song Suite, and subsequently re-arranged for full orchestra in 1942 by the composer. In the 1950s and early 60s it was used as the signature tune for BBC television series Billy Bunter, at the end of the show's run in electronic form. Popular musician Mike Oldfield recorded an arrangement of the instrumental in 1976. Released as a single, it is Oldfield's highest-charting single in the United Kingdom, where it reached number three.
Performed by the English Coronation Orchestra.
The painting by Dominic Serres depicts the British ship HMS Foudroyant towing the captured French ship Pégase into Portsmouth Harbour in 1782.
